Last year we met Lucky – one of twins, who had his cleft lip repaired by the team in January 2015. He was much smaller than his brother then, but now he has caught up and is a real character, full of mischief and fun – it is a joy to see him again.

He came this time to have his palate repaired but, unfortunately, he had a chest infection and so was unfit for surgery which had to be deferred until next year.

Lucky, like so many of the children we see, lives in poor housing in cramped conditions. Anaemia, malnourishment and infections are common, and a fact of life – in the future we hope to be able to address some of these issues as soon as children are identified as likely to benefit from cleft surgery.

Hopefully, that will mean fewer children who are unable to have surgery. In the meantime we look forward to seeing Lucky and his infectious grin again next year.