TESS Unlimited

Casa
Guatemala
Antigua
TESS Unlimited

A non-profit organization established in 2008, dedicated to providing Comprehensive Cleft Care for children born with a cleft lip and/or palate in Guatemala.

The Gift of Smile Project

Since 2008, we have helped over 4000 children in Guatemala born with a cleft lip and/or palate, which are openings in the lip and roof of the mouth, by financing their needed surgeries and pre- and post op care. The life of a child with a lip deformity is extremely difficult as it is prone to illness because their respiratory system is exposed. Most babies we find are e

xtremely malnourished since breastfeeding is challenging due to the deformity. Poverty also leads to less milk production for the mothers, and buying milk powder is too expensive. A child with a visible deformity will most likely not go to school because the families are ashamed for their child to be seen. Tess Unlimited searches children and adults with lip deformities in Guatemala. Before surgery is considered, the baby needs to have the correct weight and strong health level. To accomplish this, the child will follow our Milk Project in which we provide milk, special feeding bottles and medicines to the families in order to prepare it for surgery. When the baby is malnourished, the child goes directly to the hospital through our Hospital Project in which we finance their needed care. After the first surgery of closing the lip, one year needs to be considered before the second surgery of closing the palate takes place. Following the surgeries, after-care is needed consisting of speech therapy, dental care, psychological care and check-ups. All the steps taken in the child’s journey are supported and financed by us. With our help the child will be more likely to get an education, a more healthy life and at the end of their journey, a beautiful smile on their face! For more information about our projects, please visit www.tessunlimited.com

02/09/2026

💖💖💖

31/08/2026

🎉 TESS Unlimited bestaat 18 jaar! 💕
En dat vieren we graag samen!

Op zaterdag 12 september maken we er een mooie en bijzondere middag van bij het Veurs Lyceum in Leidschendam, van 13.30 tot 17.00 uur.

✨ 18 jaar TESS Unlimited
💕 Samen vieren
🥂 Een bijzondere middag

We hebben er ontzettend veel zin in. Tot 12 september! Iedereen is meer dan welkom 💖

27/08/2026

We’ve just wrapped up an amazing week with an incredible team! ❤️

Together, we were able to provide 30 children with high-quality surgical care:
• 27 primary cleft lip surgeries
• 2 primary cleft palate surgeries
• 1 fistula repair

Everything went incredibly smoothly, and we couldn’t be happier with how the week turned out. Most importantly, 30 children are beginning a new chapter. ❤️

A huge thank you to everyone who made this week possible!

Enjoy the pictures! 📸✨

22/08/2026

📸✨ Who said triage pictures have to be boring?! 😍😂

Today we have triage with 36 amazing children! ❤️ Instead of taking the usual, standard triage photos, we decided it was time to spice things up a little!

Because seriously… with this many little beauties and supermodels around us, how could we possibly take normal pictures?! 😂📸💃🕺

So we turned triage into a mini photoshoot, and let’s just say… the models AND their moms had a LOT of fun! 🤣❤️

We hope these pictures make you smile as much as they made us smile today! 🥰

36 children, lots of preparation, even more laughter, and some seriously fabulous poses! ✨📸❤️

18/08/2026

💖💪💖

18/08/2026

Last year, a very special girl became part of our foundation. She was born with a bilateral cleft lip and Tessier 3 cleft, an extremely rare facial cleft.

Our amazing surgeon, Dr. Patty, performed her first surgery last year. It was an incredibly complex procedure that took 8 hours. ❤️‍🩹

The wonderful Leslie Ann Grisanti and her team, Maria and Derrick, were there to capture her journey — before, during and after surgery. 🎥❤️

This week, exactly one year after that first surgery, they returned to Guatemala, and together we traveled all the way to her home. It was a 7-hour drive into the mountains, but what was waiting for us at the end made every minute worth it.

We were welcomed by her entire family and village. 🥹❤️ We made tortillas together, shared breakfast, spent time getting to know her family and saw how much this beautiful little girl has grown and changed over the past year.

And then, completely unexpectedly, we discovered that there is another baby in the family who was born with a cleft. Of course, we immediately evaluated him and scheduled him to receive the care he needs too. 🥰

Sometimes one journey leads you straight to another child who needs you. ❤️

And this story isn't finished yet…

This October, at the fundraiser in Minnesota organized by Cleft Care International, the film documenting this incredible journey will be shown for the very first time! 🎬✨ We cannot wait for everyone to see it.

Leslie, Maria and Derrick — THANK YOU for traveling all the way to Guatemala, for making this journey with us, and for putting so much time, love and heart into telling her story. We are incredibly grateful. ❤️

From an 8-hour surgery… to a 7-hour drive into the mountains… to a whole village welcoming us with open arms.

This is so much more than surgery. This is why we do what we do. 💛

13/08/2026

In 2022, we took an important new step in cleft care in Guatemala: we started our Orthodontic Program. 🦷❤️

Children born with a cleft often need much more than surgery. Alongside dental care, many children require years of specialized orthodontic treatment to help their teeth and jaws develop properly and to prepare them for procedures such as bone graft surgery.

We started our program with our first orthodontist, Gerson Chinchilla, and just 20 children with cleft.

Today, four years later, we have grown to a team of 5 orthodontists caring for almost 200 children! 🎉

And this is Berenice. ❤️

Berenice entered our program when she was only one month old. She received support through our milk program, underwent her cleft surgeries, received dental care, and in 2022 joined our Orthodontic Program.

With continued orthodontic treatment, she was able to receive her bone graft surgery as well.

And just look at her now — she is thriving! 🌟

Berenice's journey shows why comprehensive, long-term cleft care matters so much. It isn't one operation or one moment in a child's life. It is years of nutrition, surgery, dental care, orthodontics, follow-up, and a dedicated team walking alongside each child as they grow.

Cleft care is so much more than surgery. ❤️

It is giving a child the opportunity to grow, smile, thrive, and reach their full potential.

10/08/2026

Speech therapy in Guatemala!

07/08/2026

Did you know we're secretly running a top model agency? 📸✨

05/08/2026

Liam has completely stolen our hearts. 💙

Today, he's having his cleft palate repaired by our amazing local surgical team. But if you met him before surgery, you'd never guess he had such a big day ahead of him.

One minute he's racing around, playing like the happiest little goofball, making everyone laugh... and the next, he's fast asleep, stretched out like a tiny prince who has conquered the world. 👑😴

He's incredibly sweet, endlessly patient, and an absolute joy to be around. We feel so lucky to be part of his journey and can't wait to watch him recover, heal, and keep spreading those smiles.

Dirección

Callejón 4
Antigua
03001

Teléfono

+50240954147

Página web

http://www.tessunlimited.com/

Notificaciones

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