Free Cleft Surgery for 400 Filipino Children

One of our Smile Train partners, Impact Philippines, which runs four hospitals, recently sent us these pictures along with a special note from the mother of one of our patients. She doesn't speak English, but Dr. Tian, who performed this great surgery, translated for us.

"I thank you very much for the help you've done to my child.  I hope you can continue to help a lot more children. You have made my child beautiful. Thank you very much to all who have helped!"

Dr. Tian wanted to wait until the post operation swelling had gone down and the nurses could finish cleaning her face, but her grandmother insisted that they take the picture with her first new smile.

On their behalf and on behalf of all of our patients and their families, thank you for your support.

In 2009, Smile Train awarded a grant to Cleftworks Association which provided funding for free cleft surgery for 50 patients. Located in Davao City, this group works to provide surgeries for underprivileged children born with complex facial deformities. In their end of year report, the group describes the partnership by saying, "Smile Train’s grant greatly supplemented the cleft program’s funding for surgical treatment cost. It eased the physician’s burden to look for treatment funding for poor patients and concentrate on surgical cleft care, dental access and speech counselling by competent specialists. The attached document shares the stories and before and after pictures of three patients helped by this grant, Angel, Jonathan and Christopher.

• CleftWorks_Association_2009.pdf (PDF)