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Xinrui’s Smile is so Bright it Lights Up the Holidays
Beijing, China—Xinrui is a two-year-old girl from Bei Gao Li Village, a rural part of China’s Hebei province. When you see her bright smile today you would never know that she was born with both a...
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The Story of Happiness
Dr. Meschack Ong’uti (left), with Happiness and her mother, Emina after Happiness’ Smile Train surgery. Garoua, Cameroon—Paul Kimani from Smile Train partner Help a Child Face Tomorrow shares his...
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New Year, Fresh Start: Lucas Oliveira Success Story
As a child, one of the hardest parts about having a cleft is looking different from everyone around you and finding acceptance. It’s not uncommon for children who attend school with clefts to be...
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The Family With the Largest Smiles
Janta, her husband Dayal, and their five daughters Anjali, Poonam, Komal, Ankita, and Namrata. Janta Kumari Singh and her husband Dayal are the proud parents of five daughters, four of which were born...
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Bere’s Story: No Need For Silence
Bere was born in Hidalgo Mexico with a cleft lip and palate. Bere’s mother, Domitila said that Bere had several cleft related medical problems, but despite them, she was a happy little girl. When Bere...
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Kimmy Flaviano Power Of A Smile
Kimmy Flaviano, Country Manager, Philippines talks about what the Power Of A Smile means to her. What first inspired you to work at Smile Train? When I first heard about Smile Train, I had always...
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Peggy Kamphausen: “I Uphold My Parents’ Legacy by Donating To Smile Train”
Smile Train supporter Peggy Kamphausen recently shared a heartwarming story of how her now late mother, at 94 years old, wanted to get a job to help a special Smile Train patient. Below is the story in...
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A Fresh Start for Little Jiaxin
Sichuan Province, China – The arrival of a new baby typically brings a lot of happiness to a family, but when little Jiaxin was born with a cleft lip and palate the Yangs knew they wouldn’t be able to...
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Grainne McElhone : Power of a Smile
Grainne McElhone, a former cleft patient, donated her 30th birthday to Smile Train. We recently had the chance to ask her some questions. How did you become involved with Smile Train and why? A few...
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9th Annual Mini Marathon for Smile Train at Pleasant Hill Elementary
On April 24, 2015 Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Columbia South Carolina held its 9th Mini-Marathon for Smile Train. Physical Education teacher and real-world Smile Train super hero Thomas Cronin,...
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Smile Train Welcomes New Partner: Arif Memorial Teaching Hospital
Lahore, Pakistan — Last week, Smile Train proudly welcomed our newest partner hospital, Arif Memorial Teaching Hospital. Led by Prof. Muhammad Afzal Sheikh and Dr. Farrukh Mahmood, the Arif Memorial...
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Teamwork: Smile Train’s First Surgeries in the Republic of the Congo
Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo — Smile Train’s goal is to make sure that every child born with a cleft in the world has the opportunity to live a full and productive life, and the only way to...
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Dedication and Growing Sustainability in Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan — He’ll probably never win the Nobel Peace Prize or grace the cover of TIME Magazine, but Dr. Said Aolfat Hashimi is a hero in the truest sense of the word. A plastic surgeon with...
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Courage to Face the World: Elphas Sifuna
Nairobi, Kenya — When Dr. Sylvia Noah met Elphas Sifuna, she met a boy who hid behind an over-sized hat and a large, brown trench coat with a popped collar to cover his mouth. As Dr. Noah spoke to his...
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A Note of Thanks From the Mother of a Smile Train Patient
Curitiba, Brazil — A note from the mother of one of our patients that was given to and translated by our partner CAIF/AFISSUR after the excellent care her son received during his free cleft surgery...
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Smile Train’s 750,000th Surgery – Jhoanna Galut
Quezon City, Philippines — Yesterday, Smile Train announced our 750,000th free cleft surgery since our founding in 1999. Jhoanna Galut was chosen to represent this amazing “smilestone.” This is her...
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When I Grow Up…
Kampala, Uganda — today’s blog comes from Smile Train Marketing Associate Adina Wexelberg-Clouser, who is currently in Uganda as part of her Master’s degree and has been working with our partners in...
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One Big Happy Family
Bujumbura, Burundi— As part of our STOP Clefts Burundi program, our partner Surgical Centre Smile Train Mbarara traveled from Uganda to host a free cleft surgery camp and help develop a local medical...
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Smile Train Car Delivers More Than Just Patients
Karnataka, India — Most children come to Smile Train for cleft surgery at around six years old — after they have already developed poor speaking habits trying to make themselves understood, and have...
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Words of Thanks from Chhengy’s Father
Phnom Penh, Cambodia — Chhengy Hor was born with a cleft lip and palate in April of 2011. She was lucky to be born into a loving family that was determined to take care of her no matter what. In a few...
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Changing Families’ Lives In Colombia
Cali, Colombia — Smile Train staff member Maryan Newbury recently visited our partner Gracia a Dios Un Niño Sonrie Foundation. While examining best practices for cleft surgery and administration to...
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Sometimes It’s Hard
Kigali, Rwanda — Smile Train Program Manager, East Africa, Dr. Esther Nyambura Njoroge sent us this very touching account of a mother and her a newborn daughter who came in for free cleft surgery....
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Elijah’s New Life
Detroit, Michigan — As many babies with unrepaired clefts in developing countries are abandoned, our partner hospitals work closely with orphanages. After cleft surgery, these children are later...
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A Special Holiday Season In Chincha, Peru
Chincha, Peru — Led by Dr. Carlos Navarro, CIRPLAST, is one our best and most unique partners in providing free cleft surgery and care. While they are based in Lima, due to the lack of medical...
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Smile Train Cleft Choir Pilot Speech Program Underway
New York, NY — Smile Train Vice President of Programs in charge of Latin America, Pamela Wren, gives an update on a unique and promising pilot speech therapy program, Cleft Choirs. Help Us Win a Grant...
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A Smile for All Seasons
Southern Mindanao, Philippines — Erica Palomo was born on October 14th, 2009. Her mother Ana and her father Ramon were overjoyed at the birth of their little girl, but their joy quickly turned into...
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Years After Surgery, A Thank You From Ribhalin
New Delhi, India — We recently received a message on Facebook from one of our former patients, Ribhalin, a young woman from India. In 2008, Ribhalin received free cleft palate surgery from Smile Train...
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Donors Visit Smile Train Partner In Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia — recently Smile Train supporters Dieter and Martha Faber were in Mongolia and were able to visit one of our partner hospitals. While they were there, they met with Smile Train...
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Smile Train’s Newest Partner From Bolivia
Pamela Wren, Smile Train’s Latin America Director, welcomes Dr. Raul Caceres (left) and his staff to Smile Train. New York, NY — Although Dr. Raul Caceres, a plastic surgeon and director of Smile...
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Paying It Forward: Angieleca’s Story
Quezon City, Philippines — The story below was submitted by former Smile Train patient Angieleca Hayahay. When she was young, she had her cleft repaired by Philippine Band of Mercy (PBM). Becoming a...
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Increasing Patient Safety in Africa: Training Nurses in Post-Operative Care
Nurses at Smile Train partner Gertude’s Children’s Hospital in Kenya, implement the skills they learned in the post-operative care training course Kampala, Uganda — At Smile Train, patient safety is...
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A Life She Never Would Have Dreamed
João Pessoa, Brazil — Born in a poor seaside community, Jandira da Silva grew up self–conscious and insecure. So much so that she didn’t like spending time with other people — all because she was born...
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Three Days Later, Atiku’s Father Can’t Help But Smile
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Atiku, a five-year-old girl from Ethiopia has lived with her cleft, and the suffering it caused, all of her short life. Her mother abandoned the family because of her cleft....
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A New Life Ahead
Sunyani, Ghana — Smile Train partner surgeon Dr Kofi Amponsah of Regional Hospital Sunyani sent us this touching account of one of his patients, two-year-old Kwame Antwi. Kwame’s life started on a sad...
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Smile Train partner Amin Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Hospital...
Dr. Mughese Amin (center) celebrates his hospital’s 1,000th Smile Train with his staff and lucky patient Abdullah, being held by his father, Abdur Rehman. Bahawalpur, Pakistan—Smile Train partner...
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Patience Rewarded With New Smiles
Dr. Ashraf with a group of Smile Train patients from Djibouti after their free cleft surgeries. Djibouti, Djibouti— When Smile Train East Africa Manager, Dr. Esther Njoroge visited Djibouti in...
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Mohd Returns Home
Little Mohd happy at home with his mother (Mummy) and father. Mohd before Jodhpur, India–Little Mohd Waris was brought to Raj Dadiji Hospital in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India with a bilateral cleft lip and...
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A Very Special Thank You
Seattle, WA — On April 18th, the 3rd and 5th grade students at St. Mark Catholic School gathered together for a very special event — they had a live Skype conference with former Smile Train patients...
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Smile Train and Me, a Surgeon’s Story
Dr. Li Kezhu, a plastic surgeon from Smile Train partner hospital 1st Hospital of China Medical University, poses with a happy 12-year-old patient who is about to leave the hospital after her...
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Gamby Hospital Cleft Week April 24-30, 2013
Smile Train Patient Tesfaye Manaye before her free cleft surgery Bahar Dar, Ethiopia — Smile Train’s Program Manager of East Africa, Dr. Esther Njoroge, reports from the field. Meeting with cleft...
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Pleasant Hill Elementary School Mini Marathon for Smile Train
Columbia, SC — Thomas Cronin, Physical Education Teacher, Pleasant Hill Elementary and Mini Marathon Event Director shares how his students are creating smiles around the world. Our deepest thanks to...
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The Worth of a Smile
Maharashtra, India — For many of our donors in the United States $250 is a generous amount of money. But in the United States, it is often difficult to realize just what $250 can do. What the cost of...
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Patricio’s Second Chance
Patricio, seen here at two years of age, had his cleft lip repaired at Smile Train partner hospital Centro Estatal de Atencion para Labio y Paladar Hendido de Aguascalientes a year ago. His cleft...
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A Message From Wang Li, Smile Train’s First Patient
Beijing, China — we recently received a message from our first patient, Wang Li, and a cute picture of her son. Since her free cleft lip surgery so many years ago, Wang Li has grown up to marry the...
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An Engaging Smile
Agra, India—Growing up in a Noorpur, India, a small village in the northern part of the country, 40-year-old Madhuri learned to accept her cleft lip as her parents could never afford the simple...
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After Surgery, Teased No More
Lahore, Pakistan—When five-year-old Hussain’s mother first looked at him when he was born she got faint, overwhelmed with intense grief. She had finally given birth to a son after two daughters, but...
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Smile Train Surgeons and a Beauty Queen Deliver Smiles in Vietnam
Little Corn Maize before and after his Smile Train surgery.Hanoi, Vietnam—Nine-month-old Do Tran Gia Bao, affectionately known as Corn Maize by his family, was born in Hanoi, Vietnam. His parents were...
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Finding More Than One Way To Help
Madi Bennett (right) and January recently reunited after January’s Smile Train surgery. During her volunteer work in the Philippines, Madi found January and another little girl living with unrepaired...
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Cleft Surgery Finds Akhtar
Mohammed Akhtar, left, waves good bye with his father and brothers to the staff from Smile Train partner hospital Bakhtawar Amin Memorial Trust Hospital after their visit to his home. Multan,...
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Monica’s Motivation
Monica was born with a cleft lip and palate in Snohomish, Washington. As an infant she had to stay in the hospital for months because of her many medical complications. Since then she has had five...
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