Smile

One of the most beautiful things in the world is a heartfelt smile. Unfortunately many children are born into this world without having that chance because of a cleft.

These children are suffering not because they are born with a cleft, but because they are born too poor to ever afford surgery. Being born with a cleft in a developing country is truly a curse. In fact, every baby born in Uganda with a cleft is given the name Ajok which means literally, “cursed by God.” And no one knows how many newborns with clefts are killed or abandoned right after birth. And the ones who are lucky enough to find a Smile Train free cleft surgery program, not only survive, they thrive. After a 45 minute surgery hands them back their future, and a second chance at life that they never thought they'd get.

In her first eleven years, Yi Yun faced a lifetime of heartbreak and disappointment. Because of her cleft, her parents abandoned her soon after she was born. Adopted by her uncle, Yi Yun lives in a home where grinding poverty requires her to work very hard. School was never an option. Her cleft greatly affected her speech and it made it almost impossible for her to communicate. All the children in her village taunted and teased her. One day, she received news that she had been chosen to receive free surgery from The Smile Train. This surgery has changed her life. For the first time in her life she can go to school and speech training is helping her learn how to speak properly. Some of her first words after surgery were a heartfelt “thank you” to her surgeon.

It just might be the most effective, impactful donation to a charity you ever make. The free cleft surgery your donation will help provide, is a true, modern-day medical miracle: it costs as little as $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes. That’s all it takes to give a desperate child not just a new smile, but a new life. When you see the impact your donation has, you’ll end up smiling too.

http://www.smiletrain.org/