Our Stories

After Pamela's delivery, the nurses told her that her son, Sebastian, only had nine days to live. She was devastated. She didn’t know where to turn. Then she was referred to Smile Train's local partner, Fundacion Ninos que Rien.

Love always finds a way.

A mother’s account of her child’s journey to cleft care in her own words.

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.

Soan worried her son would be discriminated against his entire life.

When Samnang was born with a cleft, her parents felt overwhelmed. But a midwife reassured them that, thanks to Smile Train, they had nothing to fear.

When Valery was born, her parents cried at the sight of her cleft. Now, thanks to continuing treatment sponsored by Smile Train, Valery fills their lives with song and music.

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

Auner was lucky to survive long enough to enter our partner's care. Now, he's thriving and smiling.

When Dr. Dau started as a Smile Train partner, he knew children with clefts were often abandoned or put in orphanages. As an orphan himself, he comes to work each day determined that no other child should experience that pain.