Since 2006, Smile Train has partnered with our hospital in Kabul to provide free cleft surgery to children and families who have nowhere else to turn. That partnership has made possible more than 15,224 surgeries, along with the training of Afghan plastic surgeons and the development of nutritional and speech therapy programs for cleft patients. For children born with a cleft lip or palate, this surgery changes everything: the ability to eat, to speak, to move through the world without stigma.
Ainuddin’s story is one of those 15,224.
He was born with a cleft lip and palate. From his earliest days, feeding was difficult. Breastfeeding was nearly impossible, and his parents worried deeply about his nutrition and development. When his family sought help at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, they were referred to our hospital in Kabul for specialized cleft care.
What they found there was more than medical expertise. The Afghan hospital team welcomed them with warmth and careful attention, assessing Ainuddin’s needs and walking his parents through the path ahead.
The team performed surgery to repair his cleft lip, completely free of charge. Recovery progressed well, and feeding became easier. His cleft palate repair will follow once his health allows, with speech therapy as part of his ongoing care. The team is with him for all of it.
Today, Ainuddin is an active four-year-old with a growing smile. His family is full of gratitude. And the work that made this possible continues, day after day, at our hospital in Kabul.