Journey of Smiles to Guatemala was a Masterclass in Smiles
A tiny, tropical taste of the good Smile Train donors make possible each day
![Akuya smiling while holding a picture of herself before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-12/akuya-50_0.jpg?itok=aBIVMluM)
“She Is Our Pride and What Gave Us Strength”
How a family from rural Togo overcame superstition and fear to get their daughter the care she needed
With Every Breath, Esvin Defies the Odds
His family thought a child like him could never make it. Then they encountered Smile Train
![Dr Gergorie Akakpo-Numado](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-10/gregorie-akakpo-numado-headshot-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-togo-chu-smile-train.jpg?itok=4r6TMKhI)
Dr Grégoire Akakpo-Numado: Smile Train’s Model is Life or Death for My Patients
![auner smiles](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-11/auner-smiling-after-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-guatemala.jpg?itok=r2UsJHvB)
![Auner and kids](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/auner-in-row-of-kids.jpg?itok=Ji8RvtNs)
![Miran sits on the ground](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-03/mirian-sits-in-dress.jpg?itok=pr3JQvYq)
A Warrior at Heart
At one month old, Mirian weighed just four pounds. Five months later, with the support of our local partners, she had transformed into a happy, chubby baby.
![Mohammad before Cleft Lip Surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/mohammad-before-cleft-lip-surgery.jpg?itok=SssebofU)
A Smile 40 Years In The Making: A Rohingya Refugee’s Journey
Though Mohammad's future is uncertain, Smile Train has given him hope.
![Andrea in smile train scrubs](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/andrea-in-smile-train-scrubs.jpg?itok=hgVo5Es2)
Treating the Whole Child in Ecuador
Meet the brother-sister duo transforming cleft care in the mountains of Ecuador.
![Cristina Solano](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/cristina-solano-headshot.jpg?itok=NNjUF_9z)
![Fernanda and cow](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/fernanda-and-cow.jpg?itok=MQ4WpgzD)
Fernanda: The Jolly Rancher
Wendy was 17, single, and scared. She had just had a baby with a cleft, and any help seemed far, far away from her family's ranch in the remote Andes highlands. But Smile Train was there.