![Sesnie hugging a boy after cleft lip and cleft palate surgery in Ethiopia](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-04/sesnie-hugging-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-patient-ethiopia.jpg?itok=UGvLse46)
"I Am Resilient!" Meet Smile Train's Program Manager for East Africa
A conversation with one of our heroes.
![David's mom holds an image her son before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/david-holds-before.jpg?itok=BWHeD1_B)
David’s Cleft Journey in His Mother’s Words
Magaly is the mother of David, age five, a Smile Train patient in Quito, Ecuador. She shared with us her son’s journey to cleft care and what Smile Train has meant for her entire family.
![Saksham is holding an image of himself before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/saksham-holding-before-super_0.jpg?itok=YBOFWnED)
Saksham: Hope Is Always Alive
A boy from India is starving and his parents don't know what to do.
![Pyari waits 70 years for cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/pyari-waits-for-cleft-surgery.jpg?itok=VW0vajK3)
A Lovely Smile 70 Years in the Making
For 70 years, Pyari knew little besides rejection and heartbreak, until you gave her hope. And a smile.
![nurse lisette with a baby](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-09/lissette-with-baby.jpg?itok=du6vyAW1)
Nurse Lisette Jerez
How Smile Train Partners Are Treating Children with Clefts Through the Pandemic
![Dr Gloria with a Smile Train pin on jacket](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/dr-gloria.jpg?itok=ikoD4pnB)
Dr. Carmen Gloria Morovic: Trailblazing Cleft Surgeon In Chile
Surgeon. Activist. Teacher. Woman.
![Saraswati holds a Smile Train fan](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/saraswati-holds-smile-train-fan.jpg?itok=w5hqUR0-)
Nourishing Saraswati
Saraswati's parents tried everything to feed their baby, but no matter what they tried, the milk still spilled out her cleft. She constantly screamed with hunger, and they didn't know how she'd make it. Then a friend told them about Smile Train.
![Three siblings in India have cleft treatment](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/one-family-india-three-cleft-surgeries.jpg?itok=DQP2AbQE)
One Family Needs Three Smiles
Kamlesh learned to live with his cleft. His three children could not.
![Sushila holds the image of herself before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/sushila-holds-her-before-image.jpg?itok=mzKin1NC)
A Smile Educates
Everyone told Gyana to abandon her daughter when she was born with a cleft; her husband threatened to kill himself if she didn't. Afraid for both their lives, she took the child and fled.
![Fernando in scrubs with arms crossed](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/fernando-arms-crossed.jpg?itok=MNVZkOXM)
A Father’s Legacy of Smiles
How one man built a legacy of smiles that will last for generations — on both sides of the operating table.
![Andrea in Smile Train scrubs](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/andrea-in-smile-train-scrubs.jpg?itok=I7wdA3WA)
Treating the Whole Child in Ecuador
Meet the brother-sister duo transforming cleft care in the mountains of Ecuador.