Smile Train

Happy #FathersDay ! Between the cleft-affected families we work with every day and our incredible medical partners, we are lucky to know so many Fathers, like Javier, who are dedicated to their children! Javier and his wife Oli were shocked to learn that Damian, their youngest son, would be born with a cleft! However, that did not stop Javier from dreaming about Damian's future. As Damian grew and expressed his ambition to be a YouTuber, Javier did everything he could to encourage his son's dream. Javier is determined to give Damian an incredible life filled with endless possibilities. ❤️

We are excited to announce our newest global ambassador, Elizabeth Hurley! Stay tuned to see how we change the world one smile at a time together. 😊🌎

Meet Mohammed from Morocco. He was born with a cleft lip and palate. But, like many families around the world, both of his parents had never seen or heard of a cleft before Mohammed was born. Everything changed when a friend found out about Smile Train on Facebook. After his parents filled out an informational form, Smile Train’s local staff in Morocco quickly called the family and connected them with our services. Now, Mohammed is scheduled for his Smile Train-supported cleft palate surgery very soon! Send a ❤️ in the comment section if you love that social media has the power to connect people with lifesaving cleft treatment.

Meet Yasmine from Morocco! When Yasmine’s mother, Nisrine, went into labor, she was alone. She couldn’t call her husband, who had already left for work. So instead, a neighbor and a community midwife rushed to her home, helping Nisrine give birth. When Nisrine saw her newborn daughter’s cleft lip and palate, she was overwhelmed. As word spread through their community, so did the gossip, the whispers, and the looks of pity from neighbors. A friend told the family that Yasmine could be treated for free through Smile Train and Clinique Les Ambassadeurs, our Smile Train partner in Rabat. On the day of Yasmine’s surgery, her family was nervous. But their worries turned to hope when they realized how much the surgery would improve her ability to eat and breathe. Now, Yasmine and her family can smile, knowing that she will be able to live a full, healthy, and happy life thanks to Smile Train.

Today is #NationalPuppyDay ! 🐶 To honor man's best friend, we are featuring some of our furriest ambassadors. Watch our montage of all the cleft-affected dogs that are part of the Smile Train community! #cleft #dogsofinstagram

Nutrition is an essential pillar of comprehensive cleft care! Smile Train believes in treating the whole patient. We understand that surgery, while important is not the entire treatment plan. Cleft-affected individuals often need more. Cleft-affected babies can struggle to breastfeed. Their clefts can cause them to choke on their milk. Without proper nutrition care, these babies are at risk of severe health complications, like malnutrition. This is why Smile Train will be scaling our investment in global nutrition over the next five years. #NationalNutritionMonth #AdvancingCleftNutrition Cleft-affected babies can struggle to breastfeed. Their clefts can cause them to choke on their milk. Without proper nutrition care, these babies are at risk of severe health complications, like malnutrition. This is why Smile Train will be scaling our investment in global nutrition over the next five years. #NationalNutritionMonth #AdvancingCleftNutrition

Smile Train is pledging to #BreakTheBias by calling out inequality and stereotypes about what women can achieve. Though bias hurts all people with clefts, women and girls often face additional stigma, including harassment, isolation, and lack of opportunity to go to school, get married, find a job, and achieve economic independence — on top of the serious health problems clefts can cause. Join us, @missuniverse , and countless others by posting a photo with your arms in an X position and tagging @SmileTrain . Collectively, we can all help create a world where difference is valued and celebrated! Click the link in our bio to learn more. ❤️ #BreakTheBias #IWD #IWD2022

Today marks the first day of National Nutrition Month! With nutrition being such a vital part of comprehensive cleft care, Smile Train will be sharing important cleft nutrition information and our favorite patient nutrition stories throughout March. Who remembers Anális? When Smile Train first met Anális, she was severely underweight. Malnutrition can be a dangerous result of the feeding challenges posed by a cleft. So our team enrolled her in our Smile Train-sponsored nutrition program. The local nutritionist educated Anális' mother on feeding Anális and created a daily plan for her to follow. The family also received food baskets and formula for Anális to help her nutritional needs. In just two months, Anális gained 3.5 pounds. Her mom told our team, "Having the daily plan was a true lifesaver for me. It felt empowering to have the skills and tools to make sure Anális had the care she deserved." Our fantastic Smile Train medical partners carefully look after Anális’s nutrition needs, and she is now thriving! ❤️ Stay tuned for more nutrition-focused stories! #nationalnutritionmonth #advancingcleftnutrition

Both Nathanael and Nathalia were born with a cleft. This wasn’t a surprise because their father, uncle, and cousins were also born with clefts. Their father was terrified that his children would face the same bullying and torment he did growing up. So he sought care for them right away. But unfortunately, while their surgeries were successful, clefts have many health complications, and as they have grown, they have struggled with proper nutrition intake. We were able to enroll Nathanael and Nathalia into the Smile Train-supported nutrition program. We are happy to report that they are on their way to living the full, happy, and healthy life their father has always dreamt of. ❤️ #cleft #advancingcleftnutrition #cleftstrong

Vivian Exemplifies Beauty Inside and Out. As a child just starting school, the kids laughed at her so much she didn't want to live. But not giving up or giving in to the bullying she used it as motivation to be more. Watch the video to learn more about Vivian’s cleft journey. ❤️

Today on the #InternationalDayofEducation , we are featuring Kioko! Kioko, born in Kenya, dreamed of going to school, but due to his cleft, he was bullied so severely that his parents pulled him out of school, fearing for their son's well-being. So he locked himself away and started working on the family farm. Kioko's dream of education ended because comprehensive cleft care and early intervention were not easily accessible to him and his family. However, now that he has received surgery, Kioko has a bright future ahead of him. At Smile Train, our vision is a world where everyone has access to safe, high-quality, comprehensive cleft care and can live a full and healthy life. Only then is every child guaranteed the education they deserve. ❤️ #cleft #cleftstrong #comprehensivecleftcare