Nepal

Nepal, a landlocked country in South East Asia is situated in the Himalayas and has a population of 30 million people. The Kirtipur Hospital is based in the capital city, Kathmandu, headed by surgeon Dr. Shanker Rai.

Introducing Standardised Developmental Assessment in Nepal's Cleft Care Programme

Understanding Children’s Strengths and Needs: This initiative marks an important step forward in holistic, multidisciplinary cleft care in Nepal. Through the partnership work between UK cleft clinicians and the Nepali cleft service, the Nepali staff team has grown to now include a full-time speech therapist and psychologist. The project aims to meet a recognised need for better assessment of children’s development with the introduction of a structured and standardised assessment tool. Read more

Supporting Psychological Wellbeing in Nepal

At CLEFT, we’re working in respectful partnership with local cleft teams in Nepal to support the integration of psychological wellbeing into everyday care, recognising that emotional support is a vital part of the cleft journey. Rather than exporting UK models, our focus is on co-developing sustainable, culturally appropriate approaches that build on the strengths and insights of Nepali healthcare workers. Read more

CLEFT Signs MoU to Launch Ground-breaking Fellowship

CLEFT is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with Kirtipur Hospital in Kathmandu through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the CLEFT - Bridging the Gap Fellowship. This initiative is a major step in expanding access to high-quality cleft care in Nepal and supporting the development of skilled cleft surgeons. Read more

Transforming Lives in Nepal

A recent visit by a team of six UK clinicians to Kirtipur Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, highlighted the transformative power of multi-disciplinary collaboration in cleft care, leaving a lasting impact on both patients and professionals. Read more

Psychology in cleft care

What is the role of a Psychologist in cleft care in the UK and is there any reason why the same principles can't be applied in lower and middle income countries? Dr Kate le Maréchal, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Service for the Evelina London Cleft Service delves into the importance of the Psychologist as part of the multidisciplinary care given to cleft patients and their families. Read more

Clinicians bring cleft care expertise to life in video

Our new film shines a light on the twinning relationship, developed between Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and the Kirtipur Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Filmed by Prasuna Dongol, a Nepalese film maker based in Kathmandu herself, and edited by Paul Whittaker, this is a fascinating insight into how different cleft disciplines can work together to provide a more holistic approach to treatment. Read more

Nepal meets Newcastle

After an enlightening and promising meeting earlier this year between the Newcastle Cleft Team and Dr Shakya, head of cleft surgery at the Nepal Burns & Cleft Centre in the Kirtipur Hospital, Kathmandu, plans were made for future collaboration between the teams. A group of clinicians across different disciplines involved in cleft care have travelled to Nepal on a training visit this week. Read more

Dr. Pramila Shakya visits Newcastle

Dr. Pramila Shakya is head of cleft surgery at the Nepal Burns & Cleft Centre, Kirtipur Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. This was the first visit of Dr. Shakya to the Newcastle Cleft Team and was an exploratory visit to observe the Newcastle Cleft Team. Read more

Exploratory visit to Nepal

Newcastle cleft surgeon and CLEFT trustee, Mr David Sainsbury visited the Kirtipur Hospital in Nepal in May 2022. Read more

Latest

Javid's 10k Fundraising Run

My son Elvin was born with a cleft lip in 2024. But thanks to the NHS, we got world class care and the result was unrecognisable. Sometimes we remember the fact that he used to have a cleft and we miss his huge carefree cleft smile. But unfortunately not every child has access to the same professional support. It is Elvin's 2nd birthday this week, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to run 10k fundraising for CLEFT - to help other children across the world, bridging the gap.
LF1 Cleft Charity

We are raising money with the LF1 division of the Cleft Charity at Charles University, Prague, to support sustainable, long-term improvements in cleft care. Through fundraising and awareness initiatives at LF1, we aim to contribute to the main UK Cleft Charity’s mission of improving access to cleft treatment, multidisciplinary care, and support services for patients and families both in the UK and internationally.
London Marathon 2027

1.33 million people applied for the London Marathon 2027. For the first time ever CLEFT has a guaranteed place. We are looking for someone incredible to run the London Marathon for CLEFT. Could that person be you?
Sarah’s 10K for Cleft UK

I am raising money to provide long-term, sustainable ways to improve cleft care both in the UK and overseas.

Donate to CLEFT

You can make a one-off donation today or sign up to giving a regular monthly gift. All donations, small or large, will help us to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate both now and in the future.
National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery

We are working with Bangladeshi specialists at the new National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery to create a sustainable centre to treat children with cleft lip and palate.
Our mission

CLEFT was established in 2007 with one aim, to help improve the lives of children born with cleft lip and palate, either by funding research into the likely causes of the condition or by helping support teams in lower and middle income countries.
Nawrin and the C-Arm

This important piece of equipment was supplied by CLEFT and is used to see moving images of the cleft palate. Nawrin is a 13 year old girl who was experiencing speech difficulties and needed the C-Arm to show the cleft team if further surgery was required.
About us

CLEFT was established in 2007 by cleft surgeon Brian Sommerlad - based at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, together with a former patient and a patient's grandmother.
The genetics of cleft lip and palate

Investigations into the genetics of cleft lip and palate to understand more about why cleft lip and palate occurs.
Brian Sommerlad, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Chair of Trustees

For over 40 years, I have been involved in operating on babies, children and adults who have been born with cleft lip and/or palate.
Our research vision

At CLEFT, our vision is of a future where clefts are preventable. Until we get there, we want to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate.
Trusts and Foundations

Today, 1-in-700 babies in the UK are born with a cleft lip and palate, the most common form of birth defect. The impact on a child’s life as they grow is profound. Typically, they will need at least four operations. They may also require ongoing tests, treatment or therapy. It will affect the way they look but also their speech, hearing and dental development. It can leave deep psychological scars.
Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY