About Bright Start
Imagine being born with a cleft lip and palate in rural Myanmar. Although your condition is completely treatable, your access to health care is limited. You face shame, stigma and exclusion from your school and your community.
But that’s where Bright Start comes in!
Bright Start is a monthly giving program that ensures children in Myanmar have access to a complete circle of cleft care, from the day they’re born and until they have transitioned into school.
Your gift of $35 per month will help transform a child’s life.
As a Bright Start Champion, you will receive:
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A Bright Start welcome package, further connecting you to the families you’re supporting
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Special updates from the field (including stories and photos directly from our partner in Myanmar)
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Progress reports three times a year on the impact of your gift, including first-hand accounts on how children’s lives are changed as they journey towards the full rehabilitation from their cleft.
Want to Know More?
About Myanmar
Children born with a cleft in Myanmar face enormous challenges. Accurate information is scarce, and families face stigma at every turn. Without the ability to breastfeed, newborn nutrition can be a challenge from day one. Care from specialist is costly and far from remote villages. Safety concerns and periodic natural disasters can make travel for appointments too risky to pursue. As a result, children are excluded from school and community because of their facial differences and struggles to communicate clearly.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
By providing comprehensive cleft care, we know that children in Myanmar can experience full rehabilitation from the limitations of their cleft, to pursue their hopes and dreams.
About Comprehensive Cleft Care
When you support Bright Start, you ensure that children in Myanmar will have access to comprehensive cleft care from as early as the day they are born, until they’re ready to start school.
Here’s how YOUR support will help a child in Myanmar:
From ages 0 – 2, you help provide
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Newborn feeding support to high-risk infants who struggle to breastfeed
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Initial cleft lip and palate repair surgeries
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Transportation assistance to families from rural areas
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Psycho-social support to parents and family members
From ages 2 – 5, you help provide:
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Speech assessments and regular speech therapy to help children communicate
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Hearing assessments
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Dental care and oral health assessments
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Social work support to prepare children as they transition to school
Still have questions?
Check out our Bright Start FAQs or reach out to us at cari@transformingfaces.org or by calling (416) 222-6581.
Impact Stories
Celebrating Progress at the Asian Pacific Cleft Congress
This month, Khon Kaen University in Northern Thailand hosted the prestigious Asia Pacific Cleft Congress. The conference was led by friend and partner of Transforming Faces, Dr. Bowornsilp Chowchuen, and attendees included many of TF’s partners in the region.
Thai Surgeons visit SickKids Hospital in Toronto
Two of our wonderful Thai partners visits SickKids Hospital in Toronto for surgical training.
Transforming Lives in Myanmar: Meet Pwint
7-year-old Pwint was born with a cleft in Myanmar. This is her story.