Hello!

Thank you for looking at my fundraising page!

On the 10th April 2022 I will be running the Great Welsh Marathon to raise money for CLEFT.
This will be my first full marathon and the furthest distance I have ever run
I have been training since December so hopefully my legs will get me to the finishing line!

So, why am I raising funds for CLEFT?

I am fundraising for CLEFT because I have seen the significant impact that their work has on the experience of children born with clefts.

CLEFT supports local medical teams in lower-income countries, to provide quality, sustainable treatment and care for children born with cleft lip and palate.
Additionally, CLEFT funds research in the UK to try to improve understandings of the cause of clefts and improve treatment and therapy for clefts.

Documenting the projects CLEFT works with in Bangladesh, Kurdistan, and Egypt, I met many children born with clefts and their parents, who were seeking treatment and therapy. I learned about the obstacles they face in their lives, and the issues caused by being born with a cleft, such as difficulty speaking, eating, and drinking, and worries about being accepted by their communities.

To help these children and their families, CLEFT promotes the knowledge and training of local clinicians and the creation of dedicated cleft centres to improve access to treatment. For example, the CLEFT centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh provides multidisciplinary care. This includes; specialist cleft surgery, speech therapy and orthodontic treatment. It also has been facilitated with more up to date facilities which both improve the outcomes for patients, and make treatment safer.

By working together, and with improved technology, these clinicians can combine their knowledge and experience to try to achieve the best outcomes for patients.

Ultimately, by supporting local clinicians, sharing knowledge, and facilitating local cleft centres, children born with clefts have access to more consistent, more sustainable treatment and care that can continue into the future.

Every pound donated helps to fund projects like these.

Thank you so much,

From Paul

Paul Whittaker