STORY FEATURE: AFRICA
Changing Treatment Outcomes in Madagascar: Meet Dialy
Dialy's parents looked forward with anticipation to expanding their family of four. In July 2020, in a small community near Antsirabe, their son Dialy arrived.
Dialy was born with a cleft lip and palate. His mother, Josephine, was not totally surprised since cleft has a genetic component and she herself was born with a cleft lip. Though her lip had been repaired by a visiting surgeon, she knew the challenges of insufficient local support and the stigma her son could face in the community. To this day, Josephine reports that her speech is difficult for some to understand. She yearns for her son to be able to speak clearly and confidently, living a full life.
Josephine was delighted to discover that TF’s partner Santé Plus was the very first to recently begin offering Comprehensive Cleft Care (CCC) to Malagasy families.
Now 18-months-old, Dialy has received his first surgery. The family has also received 9 sessions so far focused on dental hygiene and psychosocial counselling. TF and Santé Plus are confident that by the time Dialy is ready for school, he will be among the first to receive locally provided speech therapy. From her initial meeting with Dr. Nirina, Santé Plus’ CCC leader and surgeon, she has trusted that her son is on track to experience full rehabilitation.
