Cleft palates and cleft lips are among the most common birth defects worldwide. Although they are typically fixed through surgery shortly after birth in regions with accessible health care, medical treatment is not available for many children. While Rwandan doctors are in training to learn how to perform these surgeries, Operation Smile, an international charity organization, fixed the clefts of more than 250 Rwandans last month.
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by Alexandrine Mugisha Reporter, Monday - April 25, 2011
KIGALI, RWANDA – Kamikazi Priscilla, 9, says she now has a reason to smile – because now she can. Kamikazi, from Kirehe, a district in eastern Rwanda, was born with a cleft lip. And she says it used to affect more than just her smile.
“Life was very complicated for me,” she says, crying. “Eating was a hard task. Sometimes I was struggling to make people understand what I was saying because it was not clear.”
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