![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.
![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.
A Virtual Journey of Smiles to Africa
Smile Train staff in Africa are ready to show you the impact of your support.
![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.
![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.
It Starts with a Smile: Wang Li
![Kamse living with an untreated cleft lip in Kenya](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/kamse-before-cleft-surgery.jpg?itok=sREJDK6G)
A Student Of Resiliency
Kamse was excited for his first day of school, but, when the day finally came, he was taunted all day long. Kamse ran home and begged his grandfather never to make him go back.
100,000 Smiles In Africa
When Zena's family thought they could never afford cleft treatment for their daughter, you gave them hope.
![Fernanda stands in front of a cow](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/fernanda-and-cow.jpg?itok=4fc3ox5n)
Fernanda: The Jolly Rancher
Wendy was 17, single, and scared. She had just had a baby with a cleft, and any help seemed far, far away from her family's ranch in the remote Andes highlands. But Smile Train was there.
![Renpuci on a train with her dad](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/repuci-on-train-with-dad.jpg?itok=3EoQ5eOd)
Renpuci Smiles at High Altitude
Smile Train's partners will travel any distance and scale the highest mountains to provide free care to children in need.
![Bao with an untreated cleft on his mother's back while she is farming](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/bao-carry-me-to-a-smile.jpg?itok=1gtDDvjZ)
Carry Me To A Smile
After getting over the initial shock of having a baby with a cleft, Bao’s family noticed that he struggled to breathe and was unable to breastfeed. They knew he needed help, but didn't think it would ever be possible for him. Then they learned about Smile Train.