Big smiles for little people
Tyra Mhuruyengwe and Genesis Classen's smiles are contagious, in stark contrast to before the Nampharm Foundation stepped it. It's thanks to their assistance that life-changing operations could take place, impacting their lives irrevocably.Tyra and Genesis are just two beneficiaries of the 550 free successful reconstructive surgeries for Namibian children with cleft lips and cleft palates that the foundation has been able to carry out over the past 19 years in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
In addition, the two key players and represented by founding director, Frederik van der Walt, and the ministry's deputy executive director, Jeremia Nghipundjwa, on Friday renewed their Memorandum of Understanding for five years, enhancing their ability to assist more children with visual impairments .
In a speech read on behalf of the ministry's executive director, Ben Nangombe, Nghipundjwa emphasised that the unique partnership reflects the spirit of compassion, commitment and a collective effort towards a common goal.
"The improvement of our society starts with helping children who need reconstructive facial surgery," said Nangombe.
The operations are performed every Wednesday at Rhino Park Hospital by a team of volunteer medical specialists from Namibia, which includes a plastic surgeon, anaesthetist, orthodontist, dentist, speech therapist and paediatrician, as well as a maxillofacial surgeon.
According to the foundation's patron and former first lady Penehupifo Pohamba, the foundation also received its social welfare certificate last year.
"It's a significant development that enables the foundation to receive donations from a wide range of donors, including the public, corporate entities as well as international donors," said Pohamba.
The foundation, in turn, expressed its gratitude to donors who played a significant role in changing the lives of affected Namibian children.
Thanks to its sponsors, the foundation now also offers holistic care to ensure that each child is fully integrated into society.
In Namibia, the real cause of these birth defects is unknown. A possible cause could be the lack of antenatal care which results in pregnant women not taking folic acid. In some cultures, marriages between families can also be a factor. Another possible reason is that the defects can be hereditary.
A child's cleft lip should ideally be repaired around the age of three months, and a cleft palate should be repaired before the age of one year.
As the child grows, additional surgeries may be needed to help them overcome challenges with speech and feeding.