Today, millions of children suffer with cleft lip and palate. In many developing countries, clefts are the #1 birth defect. Clefts happen when the roof of the mouth or the top lip (or both) don't close properly during pregnancy. The result is a hole that is both unsightly and very harmful to the child's development. In the United States, there are hardly any clefts visible because every child born with a cleft automatically receives surgery shortly after birth... but the situation is much different in developing countries. Even though surgery for clefts was developed decades ago, most children in developing countries can never afford to receive it. More than one billion people in developing nations earn less than one dollar per day. So you can see why surgery to repair their child's cleft - that may cost hundreds of dollars - is far out of reach for most of these families. Although a cleft is not a matter of life and death, it's not much of a life for the child. Being born with a cleft in a developing country is a life sentence of shame and suffering. Most children with clefts never eat or speak properly. They can't go to school or hold a job. They're often ashamed to go out in public and are taunted mercilessly by other children. Many children with clefts are abandoned every year soon after birth by their families. The "lucky" ones survive to spend the rest of their childhood in orphanages. The good news is that there is a simple answer to this problem and a way to help end the suffering of millions of these children. The Smile Train (http://smiletrain.org) has developed a way to provide cleft surgery for tens of thousands of these children that is safe, effective, and affordable. It takes less than 45 minutes. It costs as little as $250. It changes a child's life forever. For as little as $250 and in as little as 45 minutes, The Smile Train organization can help to change a child's life forever. The change is so dramatic that many mothers do not even recognize their babies after surgery. And no child ever forgets the moment when they first look at their new face in a mirror after surgery. Tears stream down the cheeks of children who cannot believe their long nightmare of living with a cleft is really ended. And then they start a brand new life. Now they can speak without a speech impediment... they can eat properly... they can go to school, make friends, get a job. We, at Joe West Photography, are offering a selection of giclee prints to assist The Smile Train in helping children like these... one smile at a time. For each one of the stunning prints purchased with the special "ST" designation, we have agreed to donate $250 to The Smile Train. For each print purchased, you will be helping to transform a young child's life... in an incredibly dramatic way! Click on the image links below to order your print. If you would prefer to donate to The Smile Train directly... we encourage you to click on the link below to read more about how you can make an incredible difference in the lives of these precious children. |
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