Transforming Cleft

These days, Moses is thriving. He goes to school. He plays soccer with his friends, and when he grows up, he wants to be a driver.

When he was born in 2016, there was no Comprehensive Cleft Care centre in Zambia.

His parents searched for help from the back of maize trucks.

The presence of a caring and skilled local team changed their trajectory.

https://na3.hubs.ly/y0xGbP0

In our Impact Report, we reflect on the year and look towards the future of locally-driven Comprehensive Cleft Care.

By investing in cleft professionals, networks, and centres, we can address many of the barriers to care - in time.

Let's explore some of the numbers:
📈 4,035 families supported across 5 continents
✨ 1,615 new patients accessing cleft care
📊 $299 average annual cost per patient for full rehabilitation

Spend some time with the report to see what we've accomplished together: https://na3.hubs.ly/y0xCgG0

Recently, Transforming Cleft brought together two of our local partners to facilitate a cleft care learning exchange - with Fundación Ayninakuna in Bolivia welcoming the team from Tseinan in Mexico for a few days of collaboration.

The Ayninakuna team shared “From June 21 to 25, the Ayninakuna Health Foundation "Dr. Roberto Edmundo Rosa Ressini" participated in an important international knowledge exchange with Transforming Cleft (Canada) and Tseinan A.C. (Mexico), an initiative promoted by Transforming Cleft to strengthen comprehensive care for people born with cleft lip and palate (CLP).

During the workshops, professionals from the three institutions shared experiences, care protocols, and best practices in the multidisciplinary approach to this congenital condition. This forum allowed for the unification of knowledge and the strengthening of healthcare teams' capacities, promoting increasingly specialized, comprehensive care focused on the well-being of patients and their families.

Transforming Cleft, an international charitable organization based in Canada, has been promoting cooperation, training, and exchange among institutions dedicated to CLP care for more than two decades. This meeting also included the participation of Tseinan A.C., a Mexican foundation recognized for its work in providing medical and surgical care and comprehensive support to people with cleft lip and palate, strengthening the exchange of experiences and knowledge among multidisciplinary teams.

For the Ayninakuna Foundation, this exchange represents a valuable opportunity to strengthen scientific knowledge, consolidate international alliances, and continue refining its comprehensive care model, reaffirming its commitment to providing quality care that contributes to improving the quality of life of children and families with cleft lip and palate.

The Ayninakuna Foundation Board of Directors expresses its gratitude to Transforming Cleft for making this space for international learning and cooperation possible, which strengthens collaborative work and reaffirms the shared commitment to continue transforming lives through comprehensive, humane, and excellent care.”

➡️ What has our shared impact been this year?
Spend some time with our new impact report to find out: https://na3.hubs.ly/y0wTTk0

The distance between a family and the comprehensive cleft care their child needs is rarely just geographical.

Getting to a clinic means time away from work, leaving livestock that can’t wait, and finding transport. Sometimes it's navigating community beliefs, or making space to practice speech therapy at home.

That is why we invest in skilled, local teams. People who understand these lived realities, show up consistently, and ensure families never have to walk this path alone.

Impact

2025 Impact Report Discover how our largest investment forges the future of cleft care for kids' full rehabilitation. Explore Transforming Cleft’s 2025 Impact Report.

The team at Transforming Cleft is saddened by the passing of our volunteer, Mary Partridge.

Mary has given her time and skillsets to Transforming Cleft since 2019. Alongside fellow volunteer, Roger Abbott, they passionately implemented an electronic medical record system for our partner, Yekatit 12 Hospital and Medical College, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

To date, her contributions to systems and technology have enhanced the care of over 1,000 children with cleft lip and palate in Ethiopia.

We are profoundly grateful for her service.

To donate in honour of Mary & to read more about her work with Transforming Cleft: https://transformingcleft.org/mary-partridge/

Because of You - is the finale in Transforming Cleft's three-part Bolivia video series featuring Fundación Ayninakuna in Cochabamba.

This 10-minute story explores the perseverance of parents, the hopeful futures of Deymar and Josué, and a dedicated team guiding every step to full rehabilitation.

This story carries moments of sorrow and plenty of moments of triumph.

Watch today:

https://youtu.be/hjlYfNxr1Qw

We wish you the happiest of holiday seasons and a positive close to 2025!

As ever, we're incredibly grateful for the dedicated local cleft professionals who ensure that children have access to the care they deserve.

Thanks to supporters like you, this full circle of care continues to grow.

To donate: https://transformingcleft.org/donate/

Laced and Andry’s midwife had news. It was the very fear that had weighed on their hearts. Marcella was born with a cleft palate, just like their older daughter, Sarobidy.

Two months later, the family’s answer came in the form of a radio ad.

Read on: https://transformingcleft.org/story/marcellas-answer/

“It was like a cold bucket of water pouring over me…”. Rubí described the moment she learned her son Brian would be born with a cleft lip and palate.

If Brian’s cleft diagnosis was like a bucket of cold water, Transforming Cleft's local partner team at Tseinan was the sunshine ready to dry... ready... to move the family forward in their cleft care journey.

https://transformingcleft.org/story/brian-reads-aloud/