We partner with the Amity Foundation, a Chinese voluntary organization, and the Jiangsu Stomatological Hospital in Nanjing.
Our project promotes the multi-disciplinary approach to care so full rehabilitation is accessible to as many patients as possible.
Our partners worked together over the years to establish a team approach to managing cleft lip and palate, which has not typically been the norm in China. The team provided orthodontics, speech therapy, counselling, and primary/secondary cleft surgeries.
JPSH now has a nurse with speech therapy training who is dedicated to performing speech therapy for 75% of her time. The team has been doing education and outreach to parents and families (e.g. family camps, oral health outreach visits) and educated them on the importance of ongoing care. In mid-August, a family camp was held with the support of TF. The families who participated were excited after learning about treatment options.
After six years, our partnership with Amity and JPSH is scheduled to come to an end in late December. The team has excelled at bringing the idea of team care to China. We hope to continue to share learnings with the team in future.
Check out some photos from our Chinese project:
L to R: A birthday at the family camp; Gao Mei, our project coordinator, interacts with a patient and her mother; The families and team pose at the conclusion of the family camp: Gao Haitao, Before & After treatment at our partner project in China: Shao Yulong, Before & After treatment at our partner project in China