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.
![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 Smile Rai with his parents, who are holding a picture of him before his free cleft surgery in Nepal](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-09/smile-rai-with-family-after-smile-train-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-nepal.jpg?itok=UkUr4Lj3)
Destiny’s Smile
Even knowing help is available isn’t always enough to remove the stigma of having a cleft.
![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.
![Mrighna with her mother after free Smile Train cleft surgery in Nepal](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/mrighna-with-mother-after-free-smile-train-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-nepal.jpg?itok=eJUmQDrP)
A Mother Learns to Trust
![Harkirat with camera](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/harkirat-with-camera-after-free-smile-train-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-india.jpg?itok=o0o6CZiZ)
Harkirat Singh Paras: From Quiet Kid to Successful Entrepreneur
He didn’t speak until he was 18. Now, people flock to hear him talk.
![Rajesh with his mother](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/rajesh-with-mother-savitri-after-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-india.jpg?itok=NExNlqME)
![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.
![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.
![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.