On Thursday 26^th November the Rotary Club of Bellingen hosted a visit from District Governor, Neville Parsons, and his partner, Patti Berrigan.  The purpose of this visit was twofold.  The District Governor’s visit allowed him to participate in the induction of two new members of the Rotary Club of Bellingen, Catherine and Peter Waters, while his partner, Patti Berrigan spoke about the charity she is promoting, ‘Operation Cleft’.

‘Operation Cleft’ is a foundation formed by a Rotary Club in Victoria to raise funds for children in Bangladesh to have much needed cleft lip/palate operations.  Generally,  children from poor families in Bangladesh, a country smaller than Victoria with 150 million people, with cleft lips or palates go untreated. Families cannot afford the cost of the operation and the children can suffer from malnutrition and respiratory infections as well as the deformity. For as little as $250 these children can receive a life changing operation and the families receive the assistance of a speech therapist.

Further research needs to be carried out on the cause of this condition but it is thought that the lack of Folic Acid in the mother’s diet and the existence of naturally occurring Arsenic in the drinking water could be contributing factors.

As the partner of District 9650 Governor, Neville Parsons, Patti has become the ambassador for ‘Operation Cleft’ and is raising money to assist as many children as possible.

At the conclusion of Patti’s very informative presentation the Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Bellingen, Diana Christian, presented a cheque to Patti to support this very worthwhile cause.