Giving Children With Clefts a Reason to Smile

Described as “one of the most productive charities – dollar for deed – in the world” by The New York Times, Smile Train is the world's largest cleft charity. Founded by Brian Mullaney and Charles Wang in 1999, the organization provides free cleft surgery to underprivileged children in developing nations. To date, Smile Train has carried out more than 725,000 operations in 84 countries.

In poor countries, millions of children suffer from unrepaired clefts because their families cannot afford treatment. Worse, some newborn babies are killed or abandoned right after birth as their parents don't understand that a cleft is a simple birth defect that can be fixed. Most kids who live with this condition cannot speak or eat properly, are not allowed to attend school, and are teased – all of which leads to a life filled with pain and isolation.

Smile Train's sole mission is to give children with clefts a second chance at life. Aside from correcting cleft lips and cleft palates for free, Smile Train also funds ancillary treatments such as dental care, orthodontics, and speech therapy. Additionally, the charity provides free scholarships, training, and resources to local cleft surgeons and related medical professionals. Partner health care establishments are given financial support for new medical equipment and infrastructure as well.

According to its website, Smile Train has done more than any other organization in the world to raise public awareness about clefts in the United States and developing countries. The charity's public awareness campaign, which has reached more than a billion people over the past three years, is accomplished via websites, TV, radio, newspapers, and other channels. In 2008, Smile Train released Smile Pinki, a film about a poor Indian girl whose life was changed when she received free cleft surgery. Smile Pinki won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.