Smile Train

Smile Train is a organization based in New York City, USA. The organization was founded in 1999 and is the world’s largest charity that provides corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates. Smile Train has established programs to provide free corrective cleft surgery in 87 countries. Through these programs, the charity trains local doctors and provides funding to hospitals for the procedures. According to Forbes magazine, Smile Train is the 72nd largest charity in America.

Smile Train partners with Amandeep Hospital for treatment of patients of cleft lip and palate since 2004.

• More than 8000 free surgeries done under Smile Train since 2004
• Speech therapy provided to needy patients.
• Orthodontics treatment also included.
• All the treatments are free of cost.
• To and fro travel fares also provided.
• Daily wages also reimbursed to the needy patients.
• Door to door search of cleft patients also organized in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
• Mission Uzbekistan: A team of doctors went for Smile Train project called Smile Uzbek to Uzbekistan . The team operated more than 60 patients of clefts in 4 days.
• Mission Myanmar:  Under the project Smile Train team of doctors will be going to Myanmar this year to operate patients of cleft lip and palate.

These patients are provided ancillary services of speech therapy and orthodontics totally free of cost.

Nazia Kosar 2 years of age from secluded village of Thuru near Reasi (Jammu). Nazia’s parents were poor and were ignorant about the congenital disease their child was born with, because of which Nazia was unoperated for 2 years.
Mr. Roshandin resident of Reasi got his child operated 2 years back at smile train centre Amandeep Hospital Amritsar. Roshandin accidently met Nazia’s father Nasar Ahmed, saw his child and immediately understood his child’s problem. As a policy, of all discharged patients were given responsibility that they have to spread awareness about treatment of this kind of disease and about smile train centre that is dedicated for its treatment and were given pamphlets and brochures. Following Roshandin advised, Nazia’s father went to Amritsar for her treatment but was not able to find Amandeep Hospital, and went back without treatment. On learning this Roshandin personally took Nazia to Amandeep Hospital, Amritsar for treatment of cleft lip at Smile train centre.

Nazia got operated at Smile Train centre in Amandeep Hospital in Amritsar free of charge under supervision of Dr. Ravi Mahajan (HOD, Deptt. Of Plastic Surgery & Director – Smile Train Project, Amandeep Hospital, Amritsar, Punjab).

Nasar Ahmed was satisfied with the result thanks to Smile Train.

Sazan Ahmed was born with defect in upper lip. Since his parents were ignorant about this illness, they were frightened to see their child like this. They took their child to government Hospital, where they learnt that this is treatable and child would have a normal life. They took multiple opinions for the same but they were unsatisfied. At Jammu bus stop they saw advertisement of smile train at Amandeep Hospital where patients were treated for free. They called up at Jammu branch of Amandeep Hospital. They got referred to Amandeep Hospital, Amritsar. Patient was one month old when he visited Amandeep Hospital and was explained about the procedure and date for surgery was given.

Ahmed’s parents were convinced that this illness is treatable after they saw same cases in the smile train ward. Patient father cried after seeing this and agreed to get his child treated. Patient got operated at four and half months of age. Parents were satisfied by result, thanks to smile train.

PRN – 100143

Mob. No. – 8825089754

Alimoh, labourer by occupation, resident of Basoli Dist., Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir was a very sad and depressed person. He had two daughters, Mantar (Mumtaz) 22 yrs. & Shahzadi 12 yrs.old, both withincomplete cleft lip. He was barely able to make his ends meet. He was not able to find any match for his elder daughter because of her facial deformity. While offering his daily prayers he used to ask God for help so that he could get his daughters operated. When he met our social worker who told him that apart I from free surgery, he would also get traveling, food and lost wages allowances (courtesy Smile Train Grants), he felt that God had answered his prayers. He got both his daughters operated and went back home a very happy and relieved man. A few days ago we received a message from him through another patient from his village that he hasfound a match for his daughter. He was extremely thankful to everyone who made his miserable life easy and happy.

Patient Name: Isha

Date of Operation: 07/04/2016

Isha was going to Amritsar with her father in a bus from a village in Kangra with a ray of hope in her eyes for the correction of her cleft lip scar and with this hope was connected her dreams of pursuing her career in city. Although Isha had five previous surgeries, it was not enough for her, as she was dreaming her career after her senior secondary exams from a Kangra village to Kangra city and she was not having enough confidence to face the college life with her lip scar which was the greatest hindrance between her and her confidence. She had her lip and palate fixed in her early childhood which was done in a local hospital and it was a botched up surgery. Her last two surgeries were done in a smile train accredited Amandeep Hospital at Amritsar which was Alveolar Bone Grafting and Rhinoplasty. She was very happy with the results of her Rhinoplasty but her lip was not satisfactorily done in her childhood and that was the matter of concern for her as she was studying in senior secondary school in the village and wanted to pursue her further career in the city. The lip asymmetry and the lip scar were shattering her self-confidence. She told her father about the matter and her father decided to get her lip revised at Amandeep hospital, Amritsar. The procedure was done under local anaesthesia and they got discharged very next day. Isha was very happy to see her lip after suture removal. Her confident smile and glittering eyes showed that she was now ready to conquer the world.

Patient Name: Story of New Born Baby

Bhupinder was working abroad for last 10 years to earn his livelihood. When the matter of his marriage came, he and his parents finalised an Indian girl so that his Indian values were carried forward. He was married happily to Surjit Kaur for the last 5 years and it was a big day for them as he was waiting for the news of their first new born outside the hospital. When he got the news of the arrival of daughter girl he was very excited and keen to see the face of his daughter. When he saw the face of his daughter he was stunned as his daughter was born with her lip and palate cut on both sides and a large central lip segment was protruding from her mouth. Parents were in tears and they were hopeless to get her daughter’s frightful deformity treated. Father had to leave to get back to his job. Meanwhile Surjit had lost all hopes of treatment of her daughter’s dreadful condition. Then she met with a neighbour who told her that this deformity can be treated well in a smile train accredited hospital and Amandeep hospital was nearest to them. Surjit contacted Amandeep hospital and she was told to come to the hospital. Bhupinder came after 3 months and they both brought the child to Amandeep hospital. Here they were counselled well and told that all the treatment will be free of cost. They were advised the first stage operation of her cleft lip and they got her cleft lip operation done at the age of 3 months. The results brought the ray of hope in their eyes as her both side cleft lip was closed nicely. Bhupinder and Surjit were delighted and happy to see their daughter just like other children.

When Daya  was married to Jasveer she did not knew that she is going to a remote hilly place right at the Indo-Pak border with the scarcity of even daily needs goods. Life was not easy in her village Rajpur  in Rajouri district and there was no medical facility in and around her village. When Daya and Jasveer were blessed with their daughter Sandhya their happiness turned into sorrow when they saw the face of Sandhya. Lip and palate of the child were cut completely and the local midwife who managed the delivery said it is not going to be fixedthere in their area and they should take the child to the city for consultation. Two years elapsed and the poverty stricken family could not go to the city and consult the doctors. One fine day while coming from his daily work Sandhya’s father saw a poster from Amandeep Hospial Amritsar with a cleft child’s before and after surgery photographs. He inquired about it and came to know that a NGO called Smile Train helps  children born with clefts for their complete treatment through various hospitals in india and one of such partner hospital, Amandeep Hospital is going to hold a free medical camp in their village. He discussed it with Daya and decided to go to the camp. On the destined day, they reached the camp on time and showed Sandhya to the doctor who after examining explained the need of stages of operations.He also explained the NGO smile train through which all such operations are performed free of cost and to and fro travelling is also taken care of. They  came to Amritsar with the team of the Amandeep hospital  where Sandhya’s first stage surgery took place the very next day and all the expenses of the family were born by the hospital through smile train. After one week they went back to their village happily with a pledge that they will bring Sandhya  back again for the next operation on the advised date.