Cleft NZ set to launch Bottles For Indonesia programme

This new programme that my organisation is launching on December 19th is really exciting, and one that it is truly great to be a part of.

Press release from: http://www.faceit.org.nz/cleft-nz-set-to-launch-bottles-for-indonesia-programme/

Cleft New Zealand is set to launch a new international aid programme by Christmas. In response to a plea by Cleft New Zealand’s Indonesian counterpart, CBL Indonesia, we are pleased to announce the launch of a programme that will see special bottles used by children with cleft lip and palate given a second life in a country with a less developed health system than our own.

Many families all around New Zealand use bottles such as the Pigeon bottle, Haberman feeder and Medela bottles in those early months prior to the cleft repair where feeding is difficult. These bottles all have specialised teats which make them ideal for feeding children with a cleft.

Many families in Indonesia do not have access to the bottles, which are generally imported from the United States at a cost that is too high for the average Indonesian family to afford. “We are very fortunate in New Zealand that cleft lip and palate care is funded by the state – a necessity that many other countries sadly cannot afford to deliver for their people. I am very pleased that the cleft community in New Zealand will soon be able to help support those in a country with less resources than our own,” says Cleft New Zealand’s National Manager, Kenny Ardouin. “Over the years, Cleft New Zealand and the New Zealand cleft community have received a lot of support and resources from other international sister organisations, so it is great to be in a position where we can pay it forward to help families in another country who face the same challenges we do. As a country that is comparatively well-advanced in the field of cleft care, I feel that we do have a responsibility to provide assistance to other less developed health systems where possible, particularly countries in our part of the globe such as Indonesia. I am confident that our cleft community here in New Zealand will rally behind the cause by donating their old bottles.”

From 19 December, families will be able to donate their old bottles and teats which will be quality checked, before being sent to CBL Indonesia – the charity offering free cleft surgery to Indonesian families, who will then provide them to families affected by cleft lip and palate. For more information on CBL Indonesia, please visit http://cblindonesia.ning.com/ (website is largely in Indonesian). Full information will be provided on the Cleft New Zealand website once the programme launches on December 19th.