Biannual Impact Report
A simple thank you is hardly enough to convey our gratitude for all you have done for children with clefts around the world. The stories in this Impact Report showcase not only resilience and hope, they are a testament to the lifesaving work your generosity makes possible around the world every single day. That makes this report a celebration of you, a spotlight shining on the impact of your philanthropy and the many, many lives it touches.
With you by our side, Smile Train has been able to sponsor lifesaving cleft care for more than 2 million patients since our founding in 1999. No less extraordinary is that at a time when mission-based organizations had to suspend or shut down operations entirely, you helped us make 119,000+ safe cleft surgeries and 91,000+ vital non-surgical cleft treatments possible in more than 75 countries since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And we're still just getting started. We will keep moving, keep innovating, keep teaching, keep healing, until the day when we will fully realize our vision: "A world where every person has access to high-quality, comprehensive cleft care and is able to live a full and healthy life."
On behalf of our patients, their families, healthcare partners, and staff around the world, thank you. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for believing in us and our model even through these most challenging of times. And most importantly, thank you for helping us change the world one smile at a time.
With gratitude,
Susannah Schaefer
Biannual Impact Report Gallery
Smile Train Choirs
Even after surgery, children with clefts often need speech therapy to reach their full potential. But what’s even more healing than learning how to talk? Being encouraged to sing.
Knauss Family
Cindy Knauss-Konija and her brother, Bill Knauss, lead the Dalton and Elaine Knauss Foundation, created by their parents. "Being a conduit for the Lord’s work is important to our family," said Cindy. "Through the foundation, we continue our family's legacy through our children and grandchildren, because that's what we are called to do."
It’s Never Too Late to Dream
Maria has been waiting for cleft surgery since 1953. When the opportunity came, her son wanted her to pass.
If you would like to help us provide new smiles and second chances at life