Health for Humanity supports and works alongside the Partners for Surgery team in Guatemala (Association companeros para cirugia, ACPC). Their mission is to connect patients in need of health and surgical care with international volunteer teams.
Patients with a cleft lip and palate are unable to breast feed and their parents lack access to the necessary nutritional supplements. This can lead to varying degrees of malnutrition and make the children unsuitable to undergo surgery.
Health promotors from ACPC visit these families monthly and provide formula, education and monitor proper growth.
ACPC's goal is to bring these children born with a cleft to a good overall state of health and ensure they are ready for surgery.
When the time for surgery comes the health promotor accompanies the patient and family member to provide interpretation, emotional support and post operative follow up.