It may be hard to imagine, but each year in Indonesia, approximately 10,000 babies are born with cleft conditions. Most families only discover their child’s condition after birth. However, there are fewer than 300 qualified surgeons across the entire country. For many families, the greatest challenge is finding a hospital capable of performing cleft surgeries.

In 2024, the “Love Makes Whole” Medical Mission Team, in collaboration with the medical team from Dr. Soetomo General Hospital in Surabaya, carried out a cleft surgery mission on Flores Island. The mission took place at RSUD Komodo Labuan Bajo Hospital, located in Labuan Bajo, a town on the island’s western tip. Where most residents are farmers earning around NTD 6,000 per month.

Maria was one of the patients who came for treatment during this mission. Her mother shared that the three-month wait for the medical team felt like an eternity. Because of her cleft condition, Maria can’t be fed properly. She has low immunity and has been ill all the time.



The family anxiously awaited the arrival of the medical mission on their remote island. There is no public transportation around the village. Maria’s family didn’t have any vehicle, so they asked the village chief to give them a ride to the hospital which is 10 kilometers away.

Thankfully, after the clinic checkup, Maria was found healthy enough for surgery. She successfully underwent cleft lip repair surgery the following day.

A total of 21 free cleft surgeries were performed in this mission, including 9 lip repairs, 8 palate repairs, 1 bone graft and 3 scar revisions.



Beyond providing life-changing surgeries, this mission also strengthened NCF’s partnership with the Surabaya team. One of the surgeons, Dr. Alki, is a NCF Seed Fellow who was trained at the Chang Gung Craniofacial Center in Taiwan from 2019 –2020.

Today, many children like Maria in Indonesia are still waiting for receiving a free, life-changing surgery. NCF is committed not only to providing ongoing medical missions, but also to training our international medical practitioners. NCF equips our local partners with the skills to serve their communities and give every child the opportunity to live a healthy and confident life.