In response to COVID-19, mayors around the world are working together on a global economic recovery that puts communities and the planet first.
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How Bubbles Help Kids with Cleft Conditions
For thousands of children born with cleft conditions, Operation Smile provides simple, playful tools—like bubbles—to strengthen the skills they need to speak and thrive.
While a bottle of bubbles might seem out of place in a hospital setting, you might be surprised to learn that, for thousands of children around the world born with cleft lip and palate, they can be a helpful tool in comprehensive cleft care. Lilia, who was born with cleft lip and palate in 2020, is one of the many patients who received this care.
As a toddler, Lilia underwent two surgeries to treat cleft lip and palate with Operation Smile’s surgical program in Puebla, Mexico. Because of Operation Smile’s comprehensive care, it wasn’t long before her personality transformed: Lilia went from a quiet and withdrawn toddler to an exuberant, curious explorer, babbling, expressing herself with a variety of sounds, and engaging with others like any child her age.
Lilia is now a healthy five-year-old, with the same cheerful attitude and boundless energy. Her progress is the result of care at every level, from surgery to speech therapy to ongoing support at home—but it’s also evidence that small, sustained interventions throughout it all can make a meaningful difference.
Lilia at age 1, before surgery, and at age 5, 4 years post-surgery Cleft Conditions: A Global Problem
Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to more than 500,000 patients worldwide with the help of generous volunteers and donors. Cleft conditions are congenital conditions, meaning they are present at birth. With cleft lip and palate, the lip or the roof of the mouth do not form fully during fetal development. Cleft conditions put children at risk for malnutrition and poor weight gain, since their facial structure can make feeding challenging. But cleft conditions can have an enormous social impact as well: Common difficulties with speech can leave kids socially isolated and unable to meet the same developmental milestones as their peers.
Surgery is a vital step in treating cleft conditions, but it’s also just one part of a much larger solution. Organizations like Operation Smile emphasize the importance of multi-disciplinary teams that provide comprehensive, long-term care to patients across many years. This approach, which includes oral care, speech therapy, nutritional support, and psychosocial care, not only aids in physical recovery from surgery but also helps children develop the skills and confidence to eat easily, speak clearly, and engage in everyday life. This ensures that each patient receives the full range of support they need to thrive.
Marie, 11 months, with her mother at Operation Smile Madagascar before her cleft surgery (Operation Smile Photos) A Playful (and Powerful) Solution
Throughout a patient’s care, simple tools like bubbles can play a meaningful role from start to finish.
Immediately before surgery, children are often in a new and unfamiliar environment far from home, some of them experiencing a hospital setting for the first time. When care providers or loved ones blow bubbles, it’s a simple yet effective technique: Not only are the children soothed and distracted, the bubbles also help create a sense of joy and playfulness that eases their anxiety.
Milagros Rojas, a volunteer speech therapist in Peru, using bubbles in a screening with a patient. (Operation Smile Photos) In speech therapy, bubbles can take on an even more important role. Blowing bubbles requires controlled airflow, as well as the ability to form a rounded “O” shape with the lips, which are skills that children with cleft conditions may struggle to develop. Practicing these skills with bubbles allows children to gently strengthen their facial muscles, improve breath control, and support the motor skills needed for speech development. Beyond that, blowing bubbles can help kids connect with their parents or providers in a way that’s playful, comforting, and accessible even for very young patients.
Finally, bubbles often follow patients with cleft conditions home in the “smile bags” that each patient receives when the surgical procedure is finished. Smile bags, which help continue speech therapy outside of the hospital setting, can contain language enrichment booklets, a mirror, oxygen tubing, and bubbles. While regular practice with motor skills can help with physical recovery, small acts of play help as well, giving kids space to simply enjoy themselves and join in on what peers are able to do.
Bubbles at Home and Beyond
Today, because of Operation Smile’s dedication to comprehensive cleft care, Lilia is now able to make friends and speak clearly, all things that could have been difficult or impossible before. Instead of a childhood defined by limitation, Lilia—and others around the world—can look forward to a childhood filled with joy, learning, discovery, friends, and new possibilities.
CTA: Lilia’s life was changed for the better with the care she received through Operation Smile. Find out how you can make an impact in other children’s lives by visiting operationsmile.org today.
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These mayors are leading the way to a fair and green recovery from COVID-19
Since COVID-19 was identified in December 2019, it has spread around the world, wreaking havoc on our daily lives. As of July 6, 2020, there have been over 11.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported across 216 countries and territories. Over 500,000 people have died. Cities and countries instituted strict lockdowns or issued shelter-in-place orders,…
Since COVID-19 was identified in December 2019, it has spread around the world, wreaking havoc on our daily lives.
As of July 6, 2020, there have been over 11.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported across 216 countries and territories.
Over 500,000 people have died.
Cities and countries instituted strict lockdowns or issued shelter-in-place orders, but as we retreated indoors to flatten the curve, economies ground to a halt. Millions of people have lost their jobs. Hospital ICUs hit capacity. Inequality has been made painfully obvious as the most marginalized communities are forced to bear the worst impacts. Never before has it been more clear just how interconnected our health and the health of the planet truly is.
Experts have been warning of a coming pandemic for decades and yet, we weren’t ready when the reality hit.
Now, as cities and countries work towards recovery, it’s clear we’ve come to a crossroads. If we want true recovery and resilience in case of a future disaster, we’re going to need both social and environmental justice.
That is why in April 2020, C40 mayors launched the Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force.
The goal is simple: rebuild cities and economies in a way that improves public health, reduces inequality, and addresses the climate crisis — keeping global heating below 1.5°C.
The mayors laid out their collective vision for a better future by detailing what actions they’re doing or plan to do:
Step one is creating green new jobs for an inclusive economy.
Los Angeles, for example, is investing in training for new green jobs to transition to an inclusive economy, while Seoul plans to create around 20,000 green jobs by retrofitting buildings by 2022.
This also involves taking steps towards upskilling or reskilling the workforce.
Medellín, Colombia is training 25,000 people in science, technology and innovation. They’re also devoting special focus to empowering women.
“We bet on science, technology, and innovation to deal with the coronavirus,” says Mayor Daniel Quintero. “But [we] also recognize that education is the most powerful tool for transforming, not only this society, but any society.”
“We can’t build a society that leaves half of its people behind.”
Step two is working towards resilience and equity by providing fundamental public services for everyone.
This involves investing in public services, such as clean water, food, sanitation, and affordable, safe housing.
It also means investing in public transit, cycling, electric vehicles, and low emission zones.
London is rolling out one of the biggest car-free initiatives of any city in the world. Ongoing efforts to improve air quality have already reduced air pollution in the city by 35%. Meanwhile, Quezon City has launched an urban agriculture program by changing its zoning ordinances. These urban farms will improve the city’s resilience to climate breakdown. In fact, during the pandemic, the city government and their partners have already provided 3.2 million food aid packages to vulnerable populations in just two months.
Finally, step three is taking action for health and well-being by giving public space to people and nature, reclaiming streets, guaranteeing clean air, and creating livable communities.
Freetown committed to growing and planting one million trees across the city in one year as part of this and Melbourne is planting 150,000 trees and other plants to create habitats, support biodiversity, and create jobs for people unemployed due to COVID-19. Both Milan and Paris committed to adopting plans to transform into “15-minute cities,” where all residents will be able to meet most of their needs within a short walk or bicycle from their homes.
But the C40 mayors aren’t stopping there. They’re also calling on national and regional governments, central banks, and international institutions to join them.
Specifically, they’re calling on them to deliver a green and just recovery by:
- Ensuring that the only stimulus is a green stimulus
- Committing to an equitable and inclusive recovery
- Protecting and championing mass transit
- Prioritizing and investing in clean energy
- Investing in resilient cities as the engines of recovery
- Ending all public fossil fuel investments and subsidies.
Want to ensure your city gets involved? Sign this petition and tell G20 countries to spend public money on a safe and just recovery for everyone in your city.
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