About Facing the World
Facing the World is a UK charity that
provides life-changing craniofacial surgery to many of the most disadvantaged
and vulnerable children in the world. The medical team has strong knowledge on
many disciplines. They make facial reconstructive surgery in the UK for
children from the developing countries with severe facial disfigurements. Those
children cannot be treated in their home countries.
The organization also provides training for
some hospitals in partnership in order to develop the infrastructure required
for more children to receive the treatment they need in their own
countries.
The founders
Facing the World was created by Martin Kelly
and Norman Waterhouse (craniofacial surgeons) in 2002. Martin was a volunteer in
Afghanistan with the organization Children in Need. During his time there he
met a young girl called Hadisa. At eight months old, she was carried
hundreds of miles by her father to receive a treatment. The medical
facilities in Kabul were not equipped to deal with the severity
of Hadisa’s condition that's why Martin decided Hadisa’s only option
was to come to London for treatment.
In order to help other children like Hadisa
they founded Facing the World.
Martin Kelly passed away in 2008, letting a
motivated team behind him, wanting to carry on with his initiative. So far
Facing the World has treated over 40 patients in the UK, and more than 90
through the Vietnam Project.
The project in Vietnam
In 2008, Facing the World began a partnership
with Danang General Hospital in Vietnam. Vietnam has a higher incidence of
children born with severe facial disfigurement than almost anywhere else in the
world. Some believe this to be linked to the use of Agent Orange
during the Vietnam War.
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| Viet waiting in the hospital |
Facing the World team came from London two
weeks a year to train and perform surgeries with the local team in Danang. Some
training was also organized for Vietnamese surgeons going in the UK for a short
period of time. A web based telemedicine was created to link the surgeons in
London and Danang to facilitate the treatment of the most complex cases in
Vietnam.
Thanks to this program, more than 100
patients, both children and adults, are seen each year, receiving the surgery
and support care that they need.
Exotic Voyages and Facing
the World
Exotic Voyages feels very inspired by this program. In many cases Facing the World saved a child’s life through surgery, and this means a lot to us. Children represent the smiles of Vietnam, the future generations and our best pride. In some other cases, Facing the World gives children a chance to be accepted in a society full of prejudices and judgments on physical appearance. This project can bring a lot to the children: it helps them build projects and believe in their future; they gain back their self-confidence, then can finally flourish and live again without their handicap. But it also teaches a lot to our society showing that behind each body is a soul full of potential and creativity, a soul that can surprise you beyond any barriers.
This is the reason why Exotic
Voyages strongly want to be involved in this fantastic adventure through a
partnership with Facing the World. We are deeply reflecting on how we could
participate, make a change and lighten lives. There are many possibilities and
we will find the one fitting the needs and capacities of both Facing the World
and Exotic Voyages.
It is something very
important to us and therefore some projects might come up very soon!
Some Stories
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| Pan before her surgery |
Pan was born with an encephalocele, a rare defect, caused by a
failure of the neural tube to close completely during pregnancy. The
disfigurement, this left her at continual risk of meningitis or brain haemorrhage.
She lived and never left her
community on the Mekong Delta, and only dared venture beyond her village with a
blanket covering her face. She was raised by her cousin who because her
stepfather didn’t accept her. She spent most of her time alone as she had no friends and
her cousin couldn’t afford to send her to school.
Marianne Carsons,
who was touring through the region in 2004, met 16-year-old Pan and was touched
by her story. She contacted Facing the World, who brought Pan to London
for treatment. After life-saving surgery, Pan returned to her village and got
accepted and also respected as she was one of the few people who had ever left
the region. For the first time in her life she was able to mix
happily with others.
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| Viet before the surgery |
Viet suffered a bilateral facial cleft going through his cheekbones and up into his eyes, which sadly means he will never be able to see. He also had a cleft palate, which causes problems with eating and communicating. Viet’s parents worried that he would never be accepted in society - his prospects were very bleak. Facing the World’s medical team accepted Viet for surgery in the UK, in February 2012.
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| Viet and his mother after the surgery |
Facing
the World have found follow-up care for Viet in Vietnam, and Children’s Hope in Action want to provide him
with education at a local blind school. Here he is, enjoying a sunny afternoon in the park a few weeks before he went home.
Marion Nourrisson
