With Every Breath, Esvin Defies the Odds
His family thought a child like him could never make it. Then they encountered Smile Train
![Immaculata before surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-08/immaculata-before-surgery-social-media-header_0.jpg?itok=ruB-mpPm)
Immaculata: How a Mother’s Faith Brought Hope and New Beginnings
A story of maternal love and faith bringing a family light out of darkness
![Mariane Goes](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-07/mariane-goes-cleft-week-natal-brazil-day-one.jpg?itok=o-GCw-2-)
Mariane Goes is Teaching the World to Fish
Meet our Director for Education and Training for Latin America and the Caribbean
![Opeyemi riding on his mother's back](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-02/opeyemi-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-smile-train-nigeria-50.jpg?itok=QliTmTFc)
Opeyemi: Families, Like Smiles, Come in Many Forms
His father abandoned the family when he was born with a cleft. His mother never stopped trying to make him smile
![Comrade Olubunmi Lawal-Aiyedun](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-12/oral-health-training-group%20%284%29.png?itok=8hl26D85)
![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)
![Professor Ogunlewe](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/professor-ogunlewe-smile-train-partner.jpg?itok=elbnDHzs)
The Pioneer Professor: Olugbemiga Ogunlewe
Nigeria's first female oral surgeon has dedicated her career to improving the lives of children with clefts across the country. She found a worthy partner in Smile Train.
![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.
![Nkunda before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/nkunda-before-cleft-surgery-super_0.jpg?itok=jbShDbx1)
A Walk to Freedom
Nkunda had to hide in the bushes on his journey to school every day. Something needed to be done.
![Ebuka smiles](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/ebuka-smiles.jpg?itok=uhQOd72I)