4-year-old Aime lives in the countryside, near Santiago del Estero, Argentina. This year, she followed the footsteps of her older brothers, Angel, and Walter, and started Kindergarten. She loves to draw, paint, and sing with her friends. 

At school, a peer said to Aime “Your face is broken – you have a tear in your lip”.  

She responded that she was born with cleft lip, but a doctor helped her and told her that her face is fine. 

While Aime is a naturally confident child, her participation in the children’s support group, and psychotherapy prepared her for this moment. In the support group, she bonds with children who are just like her. Her counsellor helps her build self-esteem and provides her with skills to navigate life with cleft.  

When Aime was born, her parents Claudio and Sofía were referred right away to Transforming Faces’ local partner, Simi Sumaq. In the first days, they learned how to properly feed their daughter, to help her maintain a healthy weight for surgery.  

They also decided to participate in the parents’ support group, where they connect with other parents raising a child with cleft. It is an immense relief to have a network of other parents and they leverage it each day! In the group, parents celebrate key milestones together, provide advice, and discuss building awareness of cleft.