Cleft lip surgery fundraising in Mexico and Chile

The Rotary Club of Juárez, Mexico, marked World Cleft Lip and Palate Day on 27 July 2026 by highlighting its “Mil Sonrisas” program, which has performed about 1,500 reconstructive surgeries for children with cleft lip and palate. The initiative emphasizes early intervention to improve feeding, speech, hearing and self‑esteem, and continues to coordinate specialists, hospitals and donors to treat hundreds of children each year.

A few days later, on 31 July 2026, fundraising efforts for cleft‑lip care were reported in both Chile and Mexico. In Chile, Club Manquehue promoted Fundación Gantz’s 2026 annual drive, featuring a young patient and a popular singer, to raise 5,000‑20,000 pesos per donor for a dedicated children’s hospital that has served over 10,000 patients since its inception. In Mexico, Senator Waldo Fernández contributed 200,000 pesos to the civil association Casa Azul, financing surgeries for seven children; the money stems from an indemnification payment linked to a legal settlement with Karina Barrón. Together, these actions illustrate ongoing charitable mobilization across the region to expand access to cleft‑lip and palate surgery.