Northern Cleft Foundation - Giving Smiles for Life

NCF founder Dr George Teturswamy is a “Point of Light”

NCF News

We are delighted to announce that Dr. George Teturswamy, Founder and Head of the Northern Cleft Foundation, has been awarded the UK Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award. The daily Points of Light award recognises outstanding individual volunteers – people who are making a change in their community.

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Update on Lucky

Life changing stories

Last year we met Lucky – one of twins, who had his cleft lip repaired by the team in January 2015. He was much smaller than his brother then, but now he has caught up and is a real character, full of mischief and fun – it is a joy to see him again. He […]

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Lomesh

Life changing stories

Lomesh is ten months old. He lives with his family in Chandrapur, a city 130km from Nagpur. Coal mining is the major industry there and Lomesh’s father works as a day labourer for a construction company; his meagre wage has to feed eight people. The smell of coal clings to the family who have made the […]

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Sameer

Life changing stories

Sameer is one of the children who have returned to have palate surgery during this outreach having had their cleft lips repaired in 2015. It is wonderful to see him again looking so different. He is now eighteen months old, the ideal age to have a palate repair – before he starts to speak. The […]

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Pappu

Life changing stories

Pappu is fourteen. He is one of three children; the only boy in the family. His father is a “daily worker” which means he earns the equivalent of £1 a day doing whatever work is available – labouring on farms, picking up construction jobs – earning just enough in a good week to feed the […]

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8 days of operating and changing lives

NCF Outreaches

Time for another NCF Outreach, the eighth spent working in Nagpur with our partners, the Rotary Club of Nagpur West. Much work has already been done in the UK mobilising a team of over 50 doctors, nurses and volunteers to travel to India to provide free corrective cleft surgery to children who otherwise could not […]

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Dr George Teturswamy on NCF

Life changing stories, NCF Outreaches

Dr George Teturswamy, founder of the NCF, talks about the Charity’s work, the difference it makes, the spirit of the team, and the kindness of fundraisers.

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Vaishnali Padame

Life changing stories

Vaishnali was just 3kg in weight at 3 months of age. Born with a wide cleft lip and palate she had struggled to feed since birth. Her operations will give her the best possible chance to thrive and develop.

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Lucky

Life changing stories

Deeply upset by the stigmatization from other villagers who said she was the cause of Lucky’s problems, his Mum was keen to seek help to correct her son’s cleft lip and palate.

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Aditya

Life changing stories

Aditya’s Mum told us that her dream was to see her son grow to be healthy and happy and to be a doctor. Repairing his palate will help him to thrive and to develop normal speech.

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2014 – A year of achievements

NCF Outreaches

In 2014 NCF celebrated the landmark achievement of performing our 1000th corrective surgery. Find out what else we’ve been up to and how you can help us achieve our life changing goals for the year ahead.

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Kushi

Life changing stories

Kushi has travelled 100km with her Mum to be treated a second time by the NCF. Her second operation will correct her palate and provide valuable speech therapy.

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Deepak

Life changing stories

Deepak’s parents describe being “scared” that he had been born with such a defect – they were concerned that it was somehow their fault and that they had done something to invite being “cursed”.

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Dyneshwari

Life changing stories

Dyneshwari has a wonderful grin that lights up her face – it is easier for her to express her personality now because of the cleft lip surgery she had in 2013. She has come back to us for a repair to her cleft palate.

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Ashiket

Life changing stories

Local doctors refused to operate on Ashiket’s palate because he was also born with a congenital heart condition – despite the fact it had been treated. With NCF help he now has a chance of a brighter future…

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Ganesh

Life changing stories

Ganesh was born with a severe bilateral cleft lip and palate causing him feeding problems from birth and making his speech unintelligible. His family travelled almost 200 miles to access NCF free corrective surgery they could never have afforded for him.

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Camp Diary – Aurangabad 2014

NCF Outreaches

8 days, 83 corrective cleft operations performed, 83 lives changed for the better. Read our day by day account of NCF’s 2014 Aurangabad Camp where we performed our 1000th corrective surgery.

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Sania

Life changing stories

Closing the defect in Sania’s palate will enable her to live a life free of the complications. In the UK this would have been carried out by the NHS but geography and economics mean this does not always happen in India.

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Nagpur Lip & Palate Outreach

NCF Outreaches

The NCF team returned to Nagpur in January 2014. The demand here is incredible with patients travelling for up to ten hours for their surgery.

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Anand & Sandeep – Video

Life changing stories

In September 2013 our team travelled to Aurangabad, India to work with Dr Hedgewar Hospital and Sewa International. This wonderful documentary directed by Nitin Makasare tells the stories of Anand & Sandeep who we were privileged to help.

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A significant number of children in India are born with a cleft lip and palate deformity. Too poor to access medical help, many are left unable to eat or speak properly. The physical, psychological and social implications of being born with a cleft lip and palate cannot be underestimated

By making a donation to the Northern Cleft Foundation, you will help us to provide free corrective surgery to a child born with a cleft lip and palate deformity. Each operation, costing on average just £200, has a hugely positive impact on each child treated.

Outreaches are held in India, in host hospitals, once a year. Our foundation funds travel expenses for families and their children living as far as 200km away, enabling those excluded by poverty the chance of a brighter future.

We have given over 1500 children a smile for life - with your help we can keep changing lives.

TEXT NNCF37 £2/£5/£10 to 70070

Help to change a life

Just £200 provides FREE LIFE CHANGING CLEFT SURGERY for an underprivileged child.

Give a child hope

This operation has changed her life - will you GIVE HOPE TO A CHILD just like her?

UK surgical expertise

With your help our team of medical specialists can continue to change children's lives

Dedicated volunteers

All give freely of their time and expertise to ensure delivery of the best possible care