Clinic for Children with Cleft Palate and Cleft Lip, Morocco
Oujda / Morocco
Why we are working on this project
A child is born with a cleft lip or palate every 3 minutes. Without treatment, a cleft palate can cause difficulties with eating, drinking and breathing, as well as social stigma. In Morocco, children born with this condition are often kept at home by worried parents and can lose out on education and socialisation.
The international foundation Operation Smile has brought cleft lip and cleft palate operations to many parts of the world where they were previously inaccessible. However, a child born with a cleft palate needs more than an operation. Prior to surgery, a small temporary plate is fitted in the baby’s mouth to let them breathe easily and feed. The mother is taught how to use a special bottle and how to hold the baby for feeding. After the operation, some children need follow-up surgery in the nose or ears to correct their airways and drain fluids. At age three, children may need speech therapy, and between ages 7 and 18 Operation Smile provides psychological counselling and orthodontics. All of these services are provided via Operation Smile’s clinics.
In eastern Morocco there are no facilities that treat cleft lips and cleft palates free of charge, and families are forced to travel long distances to receive any treatment for their children. It was vital therefore, that this region had a clinic of its own.
Operation Smile chose Article 25 to design the clinic in Oujda because of our experience in designing medical facilities and our strong track record in designing buildings that are adapted to challenging climates.
The design
The design of the clinic was a collaborative process and we worked closely with doctors and nurses from Operation Smile to meet specific and rigorous clinical requirements.
The final design follows the tradition of Moroccan houses: waiting areas and treatment spaces are arranged around a courtyard, providing light, ventilation and pleasant views from every room. A strategy of shading windows and night-time cross ventilation keeps rooms cool in the hot summers, meaning only the dental surgeries needed air conditioning.
The clinic also has some unique features thanks to Sto Werkstatt (STO), a German supplier of building materials. The insulation is located on the outside of the building, which helps to regulate the temperature, and acoustic panels line the corridors which are very important given so many families and children share this space.
The impact
The clinic in Oujda was finished in 2019. It operates as a convenient centre for families from eastern Morocco to access extended care both before and after surgical procedures. The clinic also provides dental care to school children in Oujda.
Article 25 were present for the first Operation Smile mission, and we were delighted to see over 600 children treated at the clinic during those two days. Since then, hundreds more children and adults have benefitted from surgery and vital outpatient care for their cleft condition, helping them to heal, stay healthy and integrate into society without stigma.
Children who have undergone life changing operations
PROJECT TYPE: Clinic for Children with Cleft Palate and Cleft Lip
PROJECT PARTNERS: Operation Smile Morocco, STO
ENGINEERING PARTNERS: Webb Yates (Structural) and Max Fordham (M&E)
STATUS: Complete
