Setting the Standard for Cleft Treatment in Bolivia and Beyond
At Fundación Ayninakuna, doctors and staff are committed to patients and families for the long haul
It takes so much more than surgery to treat a cleft.
Fundación Ayninakuna is living proof. Nestled high in the Andes Mountains, this Smile Train partner center works with young patients and their families to provide top-of-the-line, comprehensive cleft treatment encompassing their entire healing journey.
How comprehensive?
From initial evaluation and nutritional counseling through surgery, follow-ups, orthopedics, orthodontics, psychosocial work, speech therapy and more, Ayninakuna is dedicated to addressing the specific needs of each baby, child, and adolescent with a cleft in a way that is thorough, compassionate, and lasting.
![A baby smiles in the waiting room at Ayninakuna](/https/www.smiletrain.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/Waiting-Room-Smile.jpg)
“I always tell my patients, we meet each other when they are born, sometimes a week old, and we discharge them at seventeen,” explains dentist Dr. Yolanda Santiváñez.
The entire Ayninakuna staff shares Dr. Santiváñez’s approach, working to build close relationships with the patients and families under their care from day one. That human connection, they emphasize, is essential for successful cleft treatment.
“A patient or family who arrives at the foundation and is supported psychologically will have a different concept, perception of themselves in the future,” says executive director Julieta Vilca Guzmán.
![Staff meets with a family member and young patient](/https/www.smiletrain.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/Family-Consultation.jpg)
Fundación Ayninakuna is a model for the sustainable care that Smile Train helps build all around the world. Because if there’s one thing our 25 years of experience and more than two million surgeries sponsored have proven, it’s that lasting cleft solutions start with local doctors.
For that reason, Smile Train invests ongoing resources in world-class partners like the team at Fundación Ayninakuna, providing support that includes monthly training for staff, access to special resources, and, of course, 100% free, high-quality cleft treatment for all in need.
“Working with these children fills me with great joy and satisfaction,” says pediatrician Dr. Fabiola Chaira Lia, “because I know that I am doing something good for society and for that child.”
Your contributions help support world-class Smile Train partners like Fundación Ayninakuna.
Read more stories for Cleft Awareness Month
![Elsa holding hands with a Smile Train patient and her mother at Fundación Ayninakuna in Sucre, Bolivia](/https/www.smiletrain.org/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2024-07/elsa-tile.jpg?itok=Zs4BJ9Ey)
Elsa Heals Clefts by Healing Families
Inside the work of a Smile Train-partner social worker
![Ingrid Rios giving speech therapy to a Smile Train patient at Fundación Ayninakuna in Sucre, Bolivia](/https/www.smiletrain.org/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2024-07/ingrid-tile.jpg?itok=aMV8Uiyk)
Ingrid Rios Makes Cleft Care Fun
She learned it all from her daughter
![Telma checking a child’s teeth](/https/www.smiletrain.org/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2024-07/telma-tile.jpg?itok=W1NA2ebz)
Dr. Telma Carnicer Sets Teeth — and Misconceptions — Straight
It takes so much more than a surgery to heal a cleft