Our Stories

Where there’s a mother’s love, there’s always hope

Even knowing help is available isn’t always enough to remove the stigma of having a cleft.

Doha is ready for her next big challenge — building an infrastructure for sustainable, local cleft care in her native country as Smile Train’s first regional director for Morocco. 
 

When Habeeba was born, the doctor gasped and told her mother, Ahlam, he’d never seen a baby like her before.

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. 

Health workers from Burundi attend a workshop so they can better teach others about the importance of cleft nutrition. 

After a rough beginning, Jenious' life is now filled with puppies, music, and kung-fu.

“We would sell everything we owned to get Rawda’s lip treated as soon as possible — nothing is going to stop us.”