Emmanuel seems a happy, well-adjusted five-year-old, and that’s a little strange. Strange because Emmanuel was born with a cleft lip in Africa, a land where birth defects are often considered a curse or the work of evil spirits....

Others routinely shun children like Emmanuel, even neighbours and family. That kind of rejection is devastating for anyone, especially a child. Some hide in their homes. Others try to disguise the deformity. Most avoid eye contact and rarely smile.  read more »