The project’s scope was to provide 462 cleft surgeries and 40 search and awareness camps.  Accordingly 462 children received a life transforming surgery through Persistent foundation support during 2018-19.

Apart from surgeries and ancillary care like speech therapy, orthodontics, dental care ABMSS conducted awareness campaigns in schools, villages and gram panchayats to educate people about cleft treatment with a simple surgery and the consequences related to the cleft. In addition a nutrition program for mother and child was added

Search and awareness camps serve two purposes:

• One is to identify cleft patients who need a surgery to correct their clefts. It is vital for ABMSS to have search and awareness camps, as many cleft patients do not know about the cleft condition and our free cleft treatment services.
• Secondly, we can educate people especially in the rural areas across the regions , about what a cleft is, demystifying orthodox beliefs related to cleft and to build a society where cleft patients are not discriminated on the grounds of their deformity and able to live a normal life.

To name a few Cleft awareness sessions were conducted at:

1. Primary Scool in Gauribidnaur, Bangalore
2. Mitrajyothi office, an NGO working on diability, as a solidarity to be fostered among Persistent Foundation’s partners
3. Government Primary School at Hoskote, Bangalore
4. Anganwadi workers in Cooperation with Department of Women and Child Development, Govt of Goa

The above project covered four states, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Goa. In the cities viz., Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Goa.

Image: Awareness campaign

• Through search and awareness camps, we have been instrumental in changing people’s perception on clefts and have helped many untreated cleft patients to get a life transforming cleft surgery free of cost.  
• Cleft is a comprehensive problem and hence requires comprehensive care. ABMSS made sure that every child who walked into our centre got the best quality care treatement.
• With the funding help from Persistent foundation, ABMSS was able to provide free surgeries to 462 children. Among them were 81 girls and 66 boys below 5 years; 137 girls and 178 boys above five years.
• This project has been instrumental in providing survival, social acceptance and overall health benefits to 462 cleft affected children, which will reflect on their education, leading a normal life without functional disabilities; and acceptance of the families by society.
• The direct impact would be the beneficiaries, but an extended impact of four times the no. of beneficiaries, as it changes the family living. Hence, transforming 462 children, around 1848 people were directly benefited from this project, supported by Persistent Foundation.