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… Cleft Nutrition Care Is Saving Lives in Tanzania Cleft Nutrition Care Is Saving Lives in Tanzania When a cleft makes feeding impossible, so is cleft surgery Clefts are far more than a cosmetic issue. … Smile Train’s free cleft treatment program at Bugando Medical Centre and called to learn more. The team immediately dispatched a car to Devota’s village to bring them to the center, for free. The neighbors stopped and whispered when a …
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… born with a cleft. She wanted to share her story with you, including why she’s so thrilled about getting involved with Smile Train. As we work to #InspireInclusion this International Women’s Day, Em inspires us each day as proof that there’s nothing women with clefts can’t achieve. Smile Train is very close to my heart... and face! I had my first cleft surgery when I was 10 days old. Can you imagine … and made me stronger and prouder of who I am than ever before. I had another surgery at 18, where they aimed to build my smile up to have more of a ‘cupid’s bow’ at the top and fill in the little gap I still had when I closed my mouth. It is …
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… invited Ruri to join a WhatsApp group for cleft-affected families in their part of Indonesia, where she met their local Smile Train social worker. Ruri holding Khalisa A few weeks later, Khalisa was scheduled for the free cleft surgery that would change her life — and her family’s lives — forever at a nearby Smile Train partner hospital. Ruri and Khalisa. Khalisa is holding a picture of herself before cleft surgery “I am very grateful to Smile Train Indonesia for helping Khalisa get her new smile,” Ruri said. Help bring life, hope, and smiles to children …
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… up and helped him shake his sadness out through his spurs. Maximiliano as a baby The team at Fundación Gantz, his local Smile Train partner, helped, too. Far beyond timely surgeries, they also provided him with free, weekly dental care and … you’ve learned the hard way to make things easier for those coming after you, and in this way, too, Maximiliano’s proud smile is the epitome of humility. His ambition is to work to earn money for a few years, then travel to the US to watch … active partner treatment centers Chile Read more stories from Latin America Peru May 1, 2025 The Joy of Astrid’s Smile Bolivia Apr 24, 2025 Thank You for Giving Roselin’s Family Their “Best Day” Mexico Apr 10, 2025 Ivanna’s Angels …
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… constructed, and costumes were sewn. Rosa borrowed a beautiful green and white queen’s dress and helped decorate the royal float. On the day of Carnival, Queen Alexa and her partner King Gael received loud applause as they waved and threw …
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… the journey. Now she’s dedicated to making the way easier for others Dr. Mayuri Kalyanpad from Maharashtra, India, was a Smile Train patient as a teenager and just became a doctor herself! In honor of International Women’s Day, we asked this … her to speak for the two of us. Changing Tracks It wasn’t until I was in ninth grade that my doctor told my father about Smile Train. I still needed another surgery on my upper lip, so we went to Bembde Hospital, our local Smile Train partner, and were extremely happy with the results and grateful that it was free. Mayuri just before her …
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… the importance of cleft nutrition. In May, community health workers, nurses, social workers, and nutritionists from Smile Train partner hospitals in Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo convened for a training course on … and support children with cleft lip and cleft palate. This course, a continuation of an initiative launched in 2018 by Smile Train and global nutrition organization SPOON Foundation, focuses not only on training health workers and … surgeries they so desperately need must be delayed. Dr. Esther Nyambura Njoroge, Vice President & Regional Director of Smile Train Africa, has witnessed the devastating toll of malnutrition firsthand. “Malnutrition is a major barrier to …
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… an untreated cleft for 65 years before he received a surgery that healed it for free from a local hospital thanks to Smile Train and you, their extremely generous donors around the world. It’s not easy to say all that your gift has meant … he got back, that ship had sailed. He was disappointed, but took it in his usual stride. How My Dad Was Convinced To Smile No one thought much more about treatment for Dad until one day Mr. Abi, our village head, approached him and said representatives from an organization called Smile Train had visited him with flyers and told him anyone he knew with a cleft could receive surgery for free at our …
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… and contained. She told us what all the next steps would be and explained that, because Notti now partnered with Smile Train, all of Edden’s treatments would be free. I remember how expensive my treatments were. My parents had to sell … Franco and I are no better off than my parents were so it was a giant relief when we learned that Notti was now a Smile Train partner and Edden would get care for free. When we were leaving for home and Dr. Torres saw how stressed I … and we saw that the surgery had been excellent. All of us were very pleased and happy. If you’re happy and you know it, smile like Edden After the surgery, the cleft team was always present, giving us support and telling us what day we had …
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… raise him. I thought about it and told myself whatever happens, he is still my son. I had to discuss the news with my wife, who was resting and recovering in another room. Or, I tried to talk to her, but she was too upset. She only cried … says. This is my son and I will raise him alone if I have to. Struggling to Understand Even with Aitya, the only time my wife accepted to hold her was when she had to feed. She did the same with Anuwat. I didn’t feel comfortable about it, but I didn’t really have a choice. If we were going somewhere outside together, my wife refused to hold them in public because she was embarrassed to have kids like that. If we were in the market, it was …
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… their follow-up question before they could even ask it: because DIF Hidalgo partners with an organization called Smile Train, that day's consultations, along with all the other cleft care Alex would ever need along the way, would be … Their tireless efforts paid off. In just a few months, Alex had gained enough weight to safely receive his first free Smile Train-sponsored cleft surgery. It was a great success. He could now eat and smile and grow along with his peers. It would seem a happy ending, but in truth, the family's cleft story had barely …
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… the way she spoke. But Vanesa never quit and eventually found Hospital Notti. There, thanks to their partnership with Smile Train, Sofia received every surgery she needed, plus personalized orthodontics and speech therapy — all for free. … as though it were her own, but that wasn’t enough for Sofia. She told her cleft team Vanesa’s story and asked whether Smile Train only sponsored care for children. They had good news for her: Smile Train sponsors free, comprehensive cleft care for all in need. At last, Vanesa would complete her cleft journey. …