South Asia: Smile Train 2018

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the contribution of $6,250 to Smile Train made in July 2018.  This gift completed your 2018 commitment of $12,500 in support of our global cleft program.

We are pleased to provide this report on how the gift was expended and the benefits your funding provided to children born with cleft lip and palate in the developing world.

Benefits of Using the Contribution

The contribution funded 100% free cleft surgery for 25 children born with cleft lip or palate in emerging countries.  Smile Train was founded in 1999, and in less than 20 years we have sponsored cleft care in more than 90 countries through our network of 2,100 partner medical professionals and 1,100 partner hospitals. Thanks to generous supporters like the Global Children Foundation and its Directors, Officers and members, a Smile Train-sponsored cleft surgery takes place every five minutes each and every day of the year.

Smile Train partners can be found throughout Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Sharan Africa, and Central and South America.  Our largest and most mature programs are in India, China, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines, while our services in Africa and Central and South America are expanding rapidly.

Based on patient demographics, your gift funded surgery for 16 boys and 9 girls with a median age of 1.67 years.

Cleft is much more than cosmetic issue for children in developing countries.  For many children, cleft is a life and death condition as it impacts eating, breathing, speaking and hearing.  Children living with un-repaired clefts are often bullied and isolated.  They suffer from low self-esteem, poor nutrition and general health, and often do not attend school.  When they become of working age, they have difficulty securing and holding gainful employment, thereby becoming a burden on their families and communities.

Smile Train-Sponsored cleft repair surgery opens up a world of possibilities for children in the developing world.  Following surgery, they can eat, breathe and hear more normally.  With speech therapy, cleft palate patients can speak more intelligibly. As they are more accepted by their peers, the children can make friends more readily and attend school, which dramatically enhances their opportunity to lead full and productive lives.

I have attached some recent photographs representative of the children who benefited from your kindness and generosity.

Your generous contributions support cleft care that is always life-changing and often-lifesaving.  Please extend our deepest gratitude to all of your Directors, Officers and Members.

Gratefully,

William J. Horan

Chief Operating Officer