![Smile Train patient Demaris from Kenya holds a picture of herself before her free cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/damaris-holding-photo-before-free-smile-train-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-surgery-kenya.jpg?itok=g5glTJIO)
Determined Damaris
Even when the whole world seemed against her, Damaris persisted. And won.
![Auner smiling after free Smile Train cleft and lip surgery in Guatemala](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/auner-smiling-after-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-guatemala.jpg?itok=-TZYkg58)
![Oscar holding a picture of himself before free Smile Train cleft lip and plate surgery in Zambia.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-04/oscar-after-free-cleft-surgery-holding-before-picture-zambia.jpg?itok=u-8JmCUs)
Oscar is a Gift
How a mother found the strength to raise eight boys on her own and a son found the strength to smile.
![Mirian sits in a dress with untreated cleft lip](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/mirian-sits-in-dress.jpg?itok=EsVtwYsk)
A Warrior at Heart
At one month old, Mirian weighed just four pounds. Five months later, with the support of our local partners, she had transformed into a happy, chubby baby.
A Tourist, a Phone Call, and a Child Given a Second Chance at Life
Small acts of kindness can have really big consequences.
![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.
![Samson's mom hold an image of Samson before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/samson-holding-before.jpg?itok=QB0FEtXr)
Baby Samson’s Superhuman Strength
Aunt Rebecca did not trust that her sister would provide Samson with the special care he needed. So, she brought him back to the place he was born, the tiny-two room house he now shared with 13 relatives, all female.
![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.
![Maria before her cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/maria-before-surgery-super.jpg?itok=cIdu5sXn)
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.
![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.
![Ayubu before cleft lip surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/ayubu-before-cleft-lip-surgery.jpg?itok=9wYWba9j)
A Smile That Brightens And Enlightens
Ayubu's classmates harassed him relentlessly for years because of a local myth about clefts. When he was 10 years old, his mother heard there was hope at a hospital less than an hour away.