By Numh Rogers in Yaounde
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| Jean Stéphane Biatcha |
In a ceremony to sign a partnership with the American NGO Smile Train in Yaounde on 5th June, officials said at least 400 children have benefitted from corrective surgery for the congenital deformity thanks to support from Synergies Africaines.
But documents given to reporters at the signing ceremony showed far lower figures: 64 patients from 5 to 15 November 2012; 61 patients from 28 June to 4 July 2013 and 50 patients between 30 November and 3 December 2013, summing up to 175 cases.
The partnership deal provides for free corrective surgery for cases from any part of the country. It also provides for the training of specialists in the domain and the installation of relevant equipment in partner hospitals notably the Ngousso Pediatric Hospital and the Garoua Regional Hospital.
In Cameroon, people with cleft lip are stigmatized. They are believed to have been cursed by God. A mother even confessed that she had been reluctant to breastfeed her baby, mistaking her for demon.
Created in the mid ‘90s by Cameroon’s first lady Chantal Biya, Synergies Africaines has been helping to alleviate poverty and fight HIV/AIDS in Cameroon and Africa. Smile Train has been its unofficial partner since 2012.
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