Wila (Wee’-laa) was heartbroken when her daughter Marsha was born with a cleft lip. “I felt so hurt and disappointed,” she told us. “I even blamed myself, thinking, ‘I’ve failed as a mother.’

When people asked, ‘Why does your daughter look like that?’ I really don’t know what to say. It just breaks my heart.”

Wila and her husband Menifati (Many-fah’-tee) constantly worried about their daughter’s condition and future. “It scared me when milk came out of her nose while she was drinking from her bottle,” shared Wila. “When she grows up, I am afraid she’ll feel ashamed when she looks at herself in the mirror. I also worry that she will be bullied.”

The young couple had already been struggling financially. Their daughter’s cleft lip made their situation worse. “I work as a staff member at

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