The challenge
Between one in 500 and one in 700 babies in Kenya is born with a cleft lip and/or palate. Without surgery, children can struggle to feed and to speak, and they may face stigma or even abandonment.
What GIFT did
GIFT opened a dedicated cleft palate fund in 2020, kick-started by a donation from a long-term well-wisher. Covid then made it impossible to plan the surgery face to face. In November 2023 GIFT met a leading maxillofacial surgeon at Nairobi Hospital, and the programme was able to go ahead.
- December 2024: GIFT funded its first operation. The patient was a nine-month-old boy cared for in a Nairobi home for abandoned children. He was discharged on Christmas Eve and has since been adopted.
- 2025: two babies from a remote village in northern Kenya had surgery. A caregiver and a translator travelled with their mothers to make the long journey possible.
Aftercare is a priority. FACT Safaris Ltd is GIFT’s liaison on the ground.
How you can help
You can give to the cleft palate fund specifically. When you donate, choose Cleft palate surgery and your gift will go only to this work.
