How this organisation has put a smile on the faces of 5 lakh children with cleft lip

Smile Train India provides free cleft repair surgeries by partnering with over 160 hospitals in the country.

Sixteen-year-old Pinki Sonkar hailing from Rampur Dahaba village in Mirzapur is a smiling, bubbly bundle of talent. One of the most smart and outgoing students in her school, and a proficient badminton player, she aspires to be a teacher when she grows up.

But Pinki’s life did not have an easy beginning. She spent the first six years of her life dealing with a cleft lip. Since she looked so different from other children, she was not allowed to go to school. And her parents would not take her along for any of the social gatherings at their village to avoid being humiliated.

How then did things take a turn for the better?

“Pinki went through a surgery as part of the Smile Train India initiative at the GS Memorial Hospital. And that changed her life forever,” says Mamta Carroll, Vice President and Regional Director (Asia), Smile Train India.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Centre for Dental Education and Research, about 35,000 children in India are born with cleft lip, or palate, every year. Only 50 percent of these children have the access to appropriate healthcare to address it.

Smile Train India is an organisation that provides free cleft repair surgeries by training and empowering local doctors. So far, it has put a smile on the faces of over five lakh children by facilitating their surgeries and tying up with over 160 partner hospitals across 100 towns and cities in the country.

The inception

Smile Train was started in the US by the late Charles B Wang, a technology entrepreneur, and a prominent American philanthropist. Initially, he was working towards a model where he sent doctors and equipment to developing countries like India to perform cleft repair surgeries. He then realised it made more sense to build a more sustainable mission and provide facilities within local communities. This is when Smile Train was set up in the year 1999. The idea behind the initiative was to empower local doctors by providing them with resources to perform free cleft repair surgeries.

A cleft is a gap or split in the upper lip or roof of the mouth. It occurs when certain facial tissues do not fuse properly during foetal development. This can have grave implications like difficulties in eating, hearing, and speaking.

Smile Train is funded and supported by numerous corporations in India like Bajaj Finserv, GlaxoSmithKline and Himalaya. Celebrated personalities like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have also lent a helping hand towards the cause.

“We spend about 125 crore every year, out of which, we manage to raise 15 percent in India,” Mamta says.

Smile Train India operates by partnering with local hospitals to perform cleft surgeries after screening them. Before tying up with any health centre or doctor, the organisation conducts a due diligence test as per the checklist given by the Medical Advisory Board.

“The checklist factors in aspects like qualification of doctors, hospital infrastructure, nursing facilities, and so on. A trained professional from Smile Train India is sent to the hospital for inspection,” Mamta reiterates.

Smile Train India has identified and partnered with over 160 hospitals in almost every nook and cranny of the country, like Smayan Hospital in Varanasi, CHL Hospital in Indore, Sant Parmanand Hospital in New Delhi, Basavatarakam Indo-American Hospital in Hyderabad, Jubilee Mission Hospital in Thrissur, and many more.

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Bringing a smile on half a million faces since 2000

Dr Krishnamurthy Bonanthaya, a maxillofacial surgeon practising at Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital in Bengaluru, has been associated with Smile Train India for the last 18 years, and has completed more than 8,000 cleft surgeries. He affirms that cleft lips can be completely cured with the help of multiple surgical interventions. But the procedures come with a heavy price.

“The first surgery is generally done when they are as young as three to six months followed by another one when they complete nine to 12 months. In certain cases, speech therapy and nutritional support is necessary after these operations. Each of these interventions cost about Rs 19,000. It becomes challenging for poor people to afford such kind of treatment,” he says.

Smile Train India is an organisation that makes cleft repair treatment both accessible and affordable.

Pooja Shivanna was one such baby who was cured of cleft lip thanks to Smile Train. “I was three months old when I got my first cleft surgery done. My parents could not pay for the subsequent surgeries. I had to put up with a stammer in speech and a watery nose for many years. Smile Train India sponsored two palate surgeries for me completely free of cost, and now I am completely fine. I can confidently go to college, talk to people, and smile without being conscious, just like anybody else,” the now 18-year-old who is pursuing BCom at Vidyaranya College in Tumkur tells YourStory.

Ritu Haniz (name changed) was shattered when she first saw her baby, Rhythm. For the first month, there was not a single day when she didn’t cry over her baby’s cleft lip.

“While browsing the internet, I learnt that cleft can be treated. However, I could not afford the cost of the surgery. My neighbours then told me about Smile Train India and directed me to one of their centres. They facilitated free surgeries for Rhythm at Anandaloke Hospital in Siliguri. Every time I see her smiling today and leading a normal life it feels magical,” Ritu says.

And the impact Smile Train India has created is not just in the number of surgeries, but also in the average age of the children who come in for these surgeries. “In the year 2005, the average age of children who came forward for cleft repair was 11 years, and now it has come down to 1.5 years after the organisation’s initiatives,” Dr Krishnamurthy says.

Spreading wings of awareness

While it does seem irrational, cleft lips is tagged with deep-seated social stigma in some parts of the country. Children born with the facial deformity are looked down upon, and tend to be treated as an outcast. There has been little awareness about the fact that it can be cured like any other medical ailment through timely interventions.

“As part of its outreach programme Smile Train India connects with people across the country to create awareness about cleft lips and its treatment. The organisation partners with local hospitals to achieve this. The social workers employed by these hospitals reach out to people, especially those who reside in rural and remote areas, to build a sense of familiarity,” says Renu Mehta, Strategic Projects (South Asia), Smile Train India.

In addition to that, Smile Train India has tied up with the government on several of its initiatives like Sashastra Seema Bal, and Rythu Bandhu Scheme as part of National Health Mission (NHM) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The volunteers who work as part of these schemes help in spreading the word about cleft repair.

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