Costa Rica
Fast Facts 
COUNTRY PROFILE
- Population: 4.9 million
- Partner: Asociación Pro Niño con Labio y/o Paladar hendido (Asociación LPH)
- Based in: San Jose
- Partner since: 2017
PROGRAM FOCUS
- In collaboration with the National Children’s Hospital, ensure that newborns with cleft have access to care and begin their treatment on time
- Improve speech and communication of children and young adults with cleft
RECENT SUCCESSES
- Signed partnership agreement with Transforming Faces in 2017
- Launched a national awareness campaign through links with the Ministry of Education, reaching all public schools in Costa Rica
- In 2020, 149 families received care in partnership with Asociación Pro Niño con Labio y/o Paladar Hendido (LPH).
KEY CHALLENGES
- Quality Equipment: LPH requires new equipment, including “VPI bulb” to assist with developing speech and communications skills.
- Training: Team requires training in NAM application, used to reshape a baby’s nose, lips and gums prior to surgery for better outcomes.
WHAT OUR PARTNERS ARE SAYING
“We are especially grateful for the attention provided by TF in 2020. We have felt supported and guided during this difficult year.” – Angelica Campos, LPH
Program Updates
Esther Accesses Comprehensive Cleft Care
Esther & Her Family Access Comprehensive Cleft Care in Uganda Dan, a bicycle mechanic, and Hellen, a stay-at-home mother, reside on the shores of the swampy Lake Kyoga, along with their two children - Janet and Innocent. In mid-2021, they expanded their family and...
Bubbly Samantha’s Journey: Costa Rica
Bubbly Samantha's Journey with Cleft and Speech Therapy Samantha is an absolute chatterbox. She is a bubbly and energetic two-year-old, who loves meeting new people. When members of the Transforming Faces’ team visited her family in early April, we noticed this right...
Innovating Cleft Care Treatments during COVID-19
Hospitals worldwide are being cleared to make space for intensive care patients, and physical distancing requirements and lockdowns have necessarily postponed all traditional community-based cleft care. During this stressful time, TF’s local partners are...
