Cleft lip and palate surgery

The Cleft Surgery Organization

Cleft surgery is a treatment that improves quality of life so much that we think it should be available to all. This is why we founded the Cleft Surgery Organisation. For more information we refer to the website of the Cleft Surgery Organisation.

Mission of the Cleft Surgery Organisation

The mission of the Cleft Surgery Organization is to provide free surgery to poor children with a cleft. Clefts are a major problem in developing countries, where millions of children suffer from unoperated clefts. Most of them cannot eat or speak properly and live in shame and isolation.

What we do

The organization provides free cleft surgery to people who cannot afford it. This is realized in two different ways: by going to the patients or bringing the patients to Marbella.

1. Going to the patients

Twice a year we organize 2-week long missions to developing countries where Dr Bart van de Ven and his colleagues conduct surgery on the affected children. An average of 100 children are helped every year. The cost of one operation performed in a developing country is around 150 €.

BEFORE	AFTER
Kenyan boy operated by dr. Bart van de Ven in Kenya.

2. Bringing the patients to Marbella

Another plan came up after receiving desperate emails from parents or adult cleft patients around the world. Since it is inefficient and costly for us to travel to each country for a single patient, we intend to bring them to Marbella. The expenses for bringing a patient accompanied by one person to Marbella is estimated to be 2000 €. Hospital costs are hoped to be reduced to 500 €.

Badly operated cleft patient applying to come to Marbella from Panama with a crooked nose, retruded upper jaw, high chin and ugly lip.

To help us to help

Bank information for donations:

City: Leerdam (the Netherlands)

Bic/Swift: RABONL2U

IBAN: NL94 RABO 0335346472