Healthy lives for children with cleft in Ecuador

Mia's Story

Mia won the hearts of the Global Smile Foundation (GSF) team in 2017 when she was only 6 months old. From the moment she walked into screening day, Mia was a happy and energetic little girl who captured the team's hearts.

Mia's parents didn't know that their daughter would be born with cleft because prenatal care is limited for most women in Ecuador. Sadly, her mother didn’t see Mia’s beautiful face until 5 days after her birth because she was distraught by her daughter's cleft lip and palate. 

Once mom saw her daughter, it was love at first site and she describes the moment as magical, “I saw my daughter and my daughter saw me, and all my fears went away."

Like many infants born with cleft, Mia had a hard time feeding properly, and wasn't sleeping well or thriving. Her mom was desperate until she heard about GSF. Since they came to our outreach program in Ecuador that year, Mia has undergone a lip surgery and a palate surgery, and now receives dental care, speech therapy, and psychosocial support.

Mia is growing up with a healthy smile and hasn't lost her spirit due to bullying or teasing. We are so happy to see her every year!

Your support makes stories like Mia's possible! When our patients receive comprehensive cleft care, both they - and their families - are able to live healthier and more hopeful lives.

Thank you for your support in 2023 and changing the lives of our patients.

Our next outreach program to Ecuador will begin March 5, 2024. Take a look at our 2024 Project here.

Your donation helped Global Smile Foundation (GSF) to provide 4 weeks of comprehensive cleft care onsite in Ecuador this year!

During our outreach programs in March and September, our volunteer teams partnered with our dedicated team from GSF-Ecuador to provide life-changing care for underserved patients. GSF's model for integrated comprehensive cleft care extends beyond surgery, encompassing dental and orthodontic care, nutrition counseling, speech therapy, and essential psychosocial support.

In 2023, your support for our GlobalGiving project in Ecuador helped provide:

• Screening for 486 patients
• 361 surgical procedures for 142 patients
• 328 psychosocial support sessions
• 113 infant nutrition/feeding consultations
• Speech and language sessions for 63 patients
• Dental procedures for 156 patients

From the first appointment, GSF patients start their journey to a healthy smile and a healthy life. It may be a nutrition consultation for parents to learn how to ensure that their baby can feed properly, or a cleft lip repair surgery for a 9-month-old baby. Every patient receives the highest level of cleft care to meet their own needs.

During our outreach programs in Ecuador, we also provide donations to our host facility, Hospital Leon Becerra, and lead training sessions for onsite healthcare providers, including the staff of our year-round cleft care center. Our goal is to build sustainable cleft care capacity so that every child in Ecuador, and the world, will have access to the specialized care necessary to have healthy, productive, and happy lives.

We will launch our new projects for 2024 soon. Thank you for your support!