Home to some 150 million people, approximately 300 000 of Bangladeshis
were born without toothy grins and beams – they suffer from cleft lip
and palate deformities. Clefts are a major problem in Bangladesh and in
many developing countries, where millions of children and adults are
suffering in silence. Deprived of that simple act of happiness, cleft
lip and palate patients are also exposed to numerous complications –
recurring ear infection, speech difficulties, feeding problems etc – but
nothing can be far greater than facing the penetrating gaze of social
stigma.
