![Cleft Con logo](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-11/cleft-con-smile-train-title-50.jpg?itok=E3NdJBHs)
At Cleft Con 2021, Vulnerability is Strength
“It's amazing what your cleft journey will do to your life when you embrace it.”
Weaver. Skateboarder. Social Media Star. Cleft Advocate. Naiomi.
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.
Meet Nigeria's Sing and Smile Club
![Kenyan Drake huddles with Smile Train patients in Mexico](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-08/kenyan-drake-in-mexico-with-smile-train-in-huddle-with-kids-nfl-philanthropy.jpg?itok=SJtAKfdh)
Kenyan Drake: NFL Star, Smile Maker
The Las Vegas Raider’s surprisingly personal connection to cleft care.
Empowering Cleft Moms in Nigeria
First it was their children. Now, Smile Train partner GSI is giving cleft moms unimagined opportunity, too.
![WACS surgeons in bright Smile Train scrubs](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/wacs-surgeons-smile-train.jpg?itok=gW7DC_9H)
Building Capacity Through Education
How Dr. Aliyu Farinyaro and Dr. Amaka Ehighibe are Leading the Way
![Cleft Awareness Month 2021 #cleftproud](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/cleft-awareness-month-cleft-proud-2021.jpg?itok=buw1bbZh)
What My Cleft Taught Me
In honor of Cleft Awareness Month 2021, Smile Train's Cleft Community Advisory Council presents real-life stories of growing up with a cleft or being the mom to a child with a cleft from people who have been there.
![Sesnie hugging a boy after cleft lip and cleft palate surgery in Ethiopia](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-04/sesnie-hugging-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-patient-ethiopia.jpg?itok=UGvLse46)
"I Am Resilient!" Meet Smile Train's Program Manager for East Africa
A conversation with one of our heroes.
![Dr Esther Nyambura Njoroge](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-03/dr-esther-nyambura-njoroge.jpg?itok=qnfChSdH)
A Calling and a Duty: Advocating for Universal Health Coverage
An interview with Dr. Esther Njoroge-Muriithi.
![Dr. Amanda Malungo holding a cleft patient after his surgery.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-03/amanda-malungo-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-surgeon-zambia-holding-patient.jpg?itok=iM3or6IP)
This Woman — and Smile Train Partner — is Making History in Zambia
She's 36 years old, a mother of four, Zambia's first female plastic surgeon, and a Smile Train partner. Here's how she does it all.