Meet Woodmala, a ten-year-old girl from the northern province of Haiti, where she lives with her four other siblings and their grandparents. Woodmala is currently in the third grade, where she loves to learn about different subjects and play with her friends. Woodmala also likes to dance, sing, and play with her siblings.
Woodmala was born with a cleft lip, a birth defect that occurs when the lip and mouth does not form properly during pregnancy. Although the cleft lip does not cause her any pain, it presents challenges in her daily life and activities, such as talking and socializing.
Our medical partner, Innovating Health International, is requesting $930 to help fund a reparative surgery for Woodmala. The raised funds will cover her travel costs, hospital fees, procedural supplies, and medications.
On March 6, Woodmala will be undergoing surgery. Surgeons will connect her soft palate muscles and rearrange the tissues to close the cleft. With the surgery, Woodmala will be able to smile more often, better articulate and enunciate her words, and fully pursue her dreams without hesitation.
“I would like for her to feel normal and not feel discriminated against,” says her cousin.