Rajasthan Royals supports Operation Smile in Rajasthan
As part of their off field corporate social responsibility, the Rajasthan Royals are going in to bat for Operation Smile - an international non government organisation that works with volunteers to repair childhood facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates.
Rajasthan to become 'cleft-free'
Working together they will try to make Rajasthan a 'cleft free' State through a range of initiatives including the provision of restoration surgery, prenatal education and care, and community awareness programs.
Those affected by cleft lips and palates are socially excluded and hidden away from society, who very often believe a curse has been placed on them. Sufferers therefore go through great psychological trauma and live very limited lives.
With teams consisting of plastic surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses, paediatricians, an orthodontist, a dentist, a biomedical technician and others, Operation Smile provides free medical examinations and surgery to children in India and, together with the Royals, is working on a program plan to rid the State of Rajasthan of cleft lip and/or palate.
Rajasthan Royals Chairman, Manoj Badale and Ranjit Barthakur Vice Chairman, have had a long history of involvement in Operational Smile in India and abroad.
Manoj Badale is also the Chairman of Operation Smile UK and has been very active in fund raising for Operation Smile projects in India and Africa, and was instrumental in setting up Operation Smile India.
Ranjit Barthakur is the Chairman of Operation Smile India and has been the driving force behind Operation Smile India's rapid growth and capacity building in the past 3 years.
"This one simple procedure puts life back into children that have been shut away, hidden and forgotten" said Manoj.
"To date Operation Smile has focussed its work in the areas of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Assam in India." Mr Badale said.
"With the help of the Rajasthan Royals, we are bringing their amazing work to the people and children of Rajasthan." He said.
Surgery that can transform lives
Simple surgery provides excellent results for sufferers and Operation Smile provides the emotional and psychological support to patients so that the internal wounds and scarring can heal along with the disfigurement.
Working with a child's parents to choose the best timing for surgery, paediatricians and surgeons undertake the simple surgery in around 45 minutes - surgery that radically transforms lives and restores dignity and self esteem.
An unknown cause - a host of problems
The exact cause of cleft is unknown. Cleft lips and cleft palates are congenital defects that occur early in embryonic development. Scientists believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as maternal illness, drugs or malnutrition, may lead to a cleft lip or cleft palate. If one child in a family is born with a cleft, the risk increases by 2 to 4 percent that future children in the family will suffer from the same defect.
Cleft lip and/or palate occur in approximately 1 per 500-700 births, the ratio varying considerably across geographic areas or ethnic groupings. (World Health Organization International Collaborative Research on Craniofacial Anomalies)
Ear disease and dental problems occur frequently, as do problems with proper speech development. Children who suffer from a cleft lip and/or cleft palate may have difficulty eating. To address these issues, a child and family may work with a team of specialists - a paediatrician, a plastic surgeon, dental specialists, an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist), a speech-language pathologist and audiologist, a geneticist and a psychologist/social worker.
Scientists are researching methods to prevent cleft lips and cleft palates. One finding, according to research studies, is that mothers who take multivitamins containing folic acid before conception and during the first two months of pregnancy may reduce their risk of giving birth to a baby with a cleft.
For more information log on to www.operationsmile.org
Photo Credit : UNICEF/INDIA/Anita Khemka