Since 2008, the partnership between HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma and Smile Train has been restoring smiles in families with members affected by cleft lip and/or palate. The discharge of each newly treated person from the hospital brightens the faces with radiant smiles in their family and community.

So far, more than 2800 individuals have been cared for by HEAL Africa.

Surgical interventions take place daily at the HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma and are extended throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo through regular surgical campaigns, especially in the most remote regions of the country. In Goma and in rural areas, care is comprehensive and free, making these specialized treatments accessible to the most underprivileged populations.

Smiles at the End of Frustration

The birth of a child with a cleft lip or palate often plunges their family into despair, marked by uncertainties about his future. These children are often faced with marginalization at school and in other social contexts, with limited access to resources and education.

Mrs. Chiruza (pseudonym), a mother of a child who underwent a successful cleft lip and palate operation in July 2024 at the HEAL Africa Tertiary Hospital, displayed indescribable joy upon leaving the hospital, holding her healed child in her arms. “My happiness in seeing my daughter freed from this cleft lip and palate that disfigured her cancels out the shock and despair I felt at her birth,” she confided.

Mrs. Chiruza’s experience reflects that of many families, particularly in rural areas of the DRC where some traditions perceive the birth of a child with a cleft as a punishment. “However, congenital malformations such as cleft lips and palates are scientifically recognized congenital malformations,” explains nurse Sylvain Kwiratuwe, head of the Smile Train program at HEAL Africa Hospital.

This shared experience where the birth of a child with a cleft is seen as a problem blocking the child, their family, and community highlights the importance of support and assistance provided by HEAL Africa to families of children with clefts. It is in this spirit that HEAL Africa and Smile Train continue to provide specialized and free corrective care to improve the lives of individuals of all ages affected by these malformations.