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About Us
Our Organization
Cleft Palate Away, Inc. seeks to improve the lives of poverty-stricken children born with cleft lip and
cleft palates in Vietnam. Through the generosity of our donors, we seek to provide medical access to the necessary multi-phase
surgeries to repair the cleft lips and cleft palates of the children.
The Charity incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit
corporation in 2008. Based in Sugar Land, Texas, the Charity was created to raise donations to assist in the medical expense
associated with the correctional surgeries. Targeted to aid the poverty-stricken families of Vietnam, the Charity hopes to
provide medical attention to the children that would otherwise be unaffordable by their families.
Click here to view our Filing Certificate
Click here to view our Articles of Incorporation
Click here to view our Federal Tax Exemption
About Cleft Palate
Cleft palate is a condition in which the two plates of the skull that form the hard palate (roof of the
mouth) are not completely joined. The soft palate is in these cases cleft as well. In most cases, cleft lip is also present.
The hole in the roof of the mouth caused by a cleft connects the mouth directly to the nasal cavity. Because of the gap, air
leaks into the nasal cavity resulting in speech articulation errors and nasal emissions. Complications include problems with
feeding, ear disease, speech and socialization issues.
Causes of Cleft
During the first six to eight weeks of pregnancy, the shape of the embryo's head is formed. The
fusion of the facial tissues develop during this time which if the tissues fail to meet, a gap appears where the tissue should
have joined. The upper lip is formed earlier than the palate. Formation of the palate is the last step in the joining of the
facial lobes. This process is very vulnerable to multiple toxic substances, environmental pollutants, and nutritional imbalance.
The facial deformities of the children in Vietnam have been correlated to poor nutrition in the mother's diet.
Environmental influences along with several other factors, including maternal diet and vitamin intake, increase the possibility
of clefting.
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