![Zawata with mother after free Smile Train cleft lip palate surgery.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/zawata-with-mother-after-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-indonesia.jpg?itok=yKvG9D-e)
Healing a Daughter's Smile and a Mother's Heart
![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.
![Aira smiling in school](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/aira-smiling-in-school.jpg?itok=Oy8xxlkC)
An Aira of Hope
When Aira started school, she struggled to speak up, was bullied, and had few friends. Now. after her cleft surgery, she's the star of the class!
![Cristian holds one of his dogs](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/cristiang-w-dog.jpg?itok=S7mAGUVV)
Healing Heartbreak with a Smile (Dogs Help, Too)
Angelica was 15 years old, single, and had just given birth to a baby with a cleft. All she knew about clefts was how she had seen people with them harassed without mercy. But she promised to never give up on the little life before her.
![Nkunda before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/nkunda-before-cleft-surgery-super.jpg?itok=N8aO5Rl3)
A Walk to Freedom
Nkunda had to hide in the bushes on his journey to school every day. Something needed to be done.
![Kenzu with his family in a field](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/kenzu-in-field.jpg?itok=a0cLQn6p)
On the Other Side of Tears, a Smile
“Don’t worry, keep the faith, and tell others about Smile Train.”
![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.
![Monica holding an image of herself as a child](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/monica-holding-before-image-super.jpg?itok=ga-5c3ew)
Monica’s Inner Strength Shows in Her Smile
Monica has been through more than any child should, but today she shines bright.
Ayu and Ade
![Mamta Carroll Smile Train India](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/mamta-carrol-smile-train-india.jpg?itok=PPz_vp9E)
Mamta Carroll: Every Patient is a World in Themselves
Mamta oversees Smile Train's programs from Egypt to the Philippines but sees the whole world in the smile of each individual child.
![Teenager Maria holds an image of herself as a baby before her cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/maria-holds-baby-image.jpg?itok=Ce_ZviBj)
With Maria Every Step of the Way
Stella breastfed her seven other children without problems, but Maria’s clefts caused the milk to come out of her nose and made her choke.