“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

Cleft Lip/Palate Reconstruction Surgery

In South Asia (and other parts of the world as well) a child born with a cleft lip and palate is often views by the community as a cursed child, and the family as a cursed family. The family can come under great pressure to abandon the child, or he/she might be kept hidden as a way to preserve the honor of the family.

The founders of 10/40 Connections adopted a child from China with an unrepaired cleft lip/palate and named her Phoebe which means “bright.” Children with unrepaired cleft lips have what is called “wide smiles.” Their smiles consume their faces as their mouth open wide! Phoebe’s smile was amazing! Now, Phoebe’s lip and palate are repaired and she continues to shine.

Through our Asian partners, we now offer our U.S. partners the chance to be involved in facial reconstruction (highlighted in our Joy to the World catalog). Your generosity helps these children and their families to overcome superstition and shame and take those bright smiles into a bright future.

Also, our partner seeks to combine facial reconstruction with moving the Gospel into unreached territories. Through these surgeries, Asian families and villages hear about the love of Christ and see the tangible difference in the life of a child.

To discover other ways 10/40 seeks to empower at-risk children, click here.