Lebanon: an early detection campaign for orthopedic birth defects in Wadi Khaled

175 km from Beirut, in north-east Lebanon, lies the village of Wadi Khaled. This is where La Chaîne de l'Espoir recently went. The aim: to conduct an early detection campaign for orthopedic birth defects among children and infants.

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Pre-screening awareness campaigns

In May 2023, La Chaîne de l’Espoir teams were in Wadi Khaled for an early detection campaign for orthopedic congenital disorders, with financial support from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

For children and infants under the age of three, the campaign was carried out in several stages in collaboration with Caritas Lebanon. After a preliminary assessment of safety and logistical issues, two day laborers from Wadi Khaled, recruited especially for this campaign, carried out awareness-raising activities among the population. A total of 560 people were made aware of the problem of congenital orthopedic pathologies. The families of the children concerned were then contacted to confirm their participation in the medical consultations scheduled as part of the screening campaign.

435 children received a medical consultation

For the purposes of this campaign, La Chaîne de l’Espoir collaborated with Caritas Liban, a local association serving the most disadvantaged without discrimination throughout Lebanon. Six pediatricians andnurses were on hand. They were accompanied by volunteers and day laborers, who were responsible for registering beneficiaries for medical consultations.

Social workers and psychologists also took part in the screening campaign. Their mission: to conduct social surveys with the families of children suffering from one or more proven orthopedic pathologies.

These surveys aim to ensure that it is the most disadvantaged children who benefit from our support. They also enable us to :

find out more about families’ living conditions,
identify other possible pathologies,
to offer children and their families the best possible support in the event of surgery.

Figures illustrate the scale and success of the early detection campaign:

435 children received a medical consultation,
58 children were diagnosed with orthopedic congenital anomalies,
44 children were diagnosed with other types of pathology,
333 children consulted were in good health,…

Finally, we should mention the key role played by the local NGO Al Waer and the Kneise’s Center in exchanging information with the children and their families, understanding the local context and providing premises for medical consultations.