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  • Our philosophy
  1. About us

Our philosophy

Our international and research work is united by one core principle: to provide sustainable care and long-term solutions for children born with cleft lip and palate both in the UK and in countries with poorer resources. We believe that they should receive the best possible care.  

The research which we support will advance knowledge on the possible causes of clefts and the most effective, and also the kindest, treatment for children born with clefts of lip and palate.  

The ethos of our international work is to support the development of multi-disciplinary cleft centres in teaching centres in low and middle income countries so that children born with clefts will have all the care they need from birth to maturity and so that future generations of specialists will be able to continue this work.

We aim to improve the lives of children and adults who were born with clefts, wherever they live.

Find out more

To learn more about some of the work we have done working with local teams, please click here.

To find out more about research that CLEFT has funded, please visit our Research section by clicking here.

To donate 

To donate and support one of our international projects, please click here. 

To donate and support one of our international projects, please click here.

Published: 31st March, 2021

Updated: 3rd May, 2022

Author: Melanie Baldwin

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    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.

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    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.

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Registered as Charity number 1194581