What makes AFS different from other cleft lip & palate organizations?
A. Traditional international efforts to repair cleft lips and palates have consisted of small teams that perform surgical procedures to correct defects. However, the initial surgery only addresses one part of the problem. Cleft patients require ongoing treatment in the disciplines of dentistry, orthodontia, speech therapy and sometimes psychological counseling. Time and funding constraints typically make it impossible to address those needs on our short two week trips. Even if information, expertise and treatment were available, it would pose an impossible financial burden to the families of our target population, whose budgets are already strained by their basic daily needs for food and shelter. Our multi-pronged approach and long-range model distinguish us from traditional international surgical teams in several ways: • To respond to the immediate need, we conduct two week surgical missions. • We provide advanced training for Chinese national health care providers who are dedicated t
