Vivian Exemplifies Beauty Inside and Out
When Vivian started school, the kids laughed at her so much she didn't want to live. Then she met someone who told her she should become a model.
![Miracle with her teacher and a classmate](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-11/miracle-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-uganda-smile-train-with-teacher-and-friend.jpg?itok=XiFi0OVr)
A Miracle to Believe In
A cleft mother’s true story of faith, miracles, and Smile Train
![Benjamin thinking in a field in Kenya after his Smile Train-sponsored cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-10/benjamin-k-thinks-outside-after-free-smile-train-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-kenya.jpg?itok=-d4oDesF)
![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)
![Santi standing proud at work](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/santi-header.jpg?itok=1akchfpM)
Santi: “Dream Big; Don’t Stop”
For adults with clefts, a smile also means fulfilling work with dignity.
![Training doctors to provide free cleft lip and palate surgery in Asuncion, Paraguay.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/training-in-paraguay-for-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-in-asuncion.jpg?itok=wxWVIyks)
Smile Train’s Next Stop: Paraguay
Building a sustainable, local foundation for success in our newest partner country.
![Livingstone with his friends after cleft lip and cleft palate surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/livingstone-with-friends-after-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-treatment.jpg?itok=zhxVMF1U)
Livingstone Clings to Life
Cleft surgery was only one piece of Livingstone's journey from malnourished baby to star of his village.
![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.
![Elizabeth before cleft treatment](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/elizabeth-before.jpg?itok=yUVE6LD2)
A Banner Year for Elizabeth
Elizabeth's family tries to find the cleft surgery she desperately needs, in the middle of a lockdown.
![Andrea before her cleft lip surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/andrea-before-cleft-surgery.jpg?itok=TyxTVyr2)
Bravery And Courage Also Run In Her Family
Just when Jeann thought she had found a way to get her daughter with a cleft to a healthy weight, COVID-19 forced the entire island into lockdown.