New York, United States · Established 1999
Smile Train
Changing the world one smile at a time.
(About)
World's largest cleft-focused organization, empowering local surgeons.
Smile Train was founded in New York in 1999 by Brian Mullaney and Charles Wang, in a deliberate break with the 'mission model' of cleft-lip and cleft-palate surgery in which visiting Western surgeons flew in for short-term surgical trips.
Instead Smile Train operates what it calls an 'empowerment model': it funds and trains local surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and speech therapists in their own countries, provides equipment and materials to local partner hospitals, and pays a fixed grant for each cleft surgery performed to Smile Train's protocols. That structure has allowed the programme to scale into more than ninety countries and to make cleft care a locally sustainable specialty rather than a periodic external intervention.
Alongside surgery, Smile Train funds speech therapy, orthodontics, nutrition support and psychosocial care, which are essential for children born with cleft conditions but often unavailable in low-resource settings.
(Verified profile)
What the record actually says.
Sourced from official reports & independent registers
Structure & mandate
US 501(c)(3) founded 1999. Operates an 'empowerment model' — funding and training local surgeons in-country rather than sending visiting teams.
Key public programmes
- ▸Free cleft lip and palate surgery through local partner hospitals
- ▸Speech therapy, orthodontics and psychosocial support post-surgery
- ▸Training and grants for medical professionals in cleft care
Founded
1999
HQ
New York
United States
Countries of work
10+
Primary sources
Independent registers
(Public perception & reviews)
What people actually say.
AI-synthesized from watchdogs, press & donor reviews
The Reach Out Score is generated by our AI based on public-domain signals (watchdog ratings, transparency, program-vs-overhead, controversies). It's a starting point — always verify against the primary sources above.
(Work in the field)
Photos of their work.
Sourced from Wikimedia Commons
(Where we operate)
Active in 10 countries.
- India
- China
- Philippines
- Nigeria
- Kenya
- Ethiopia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Vietnam
- Indonesia
(Related organizations)
Last Mile Health
Bringing healthcare to the last mile.
Trains community health workers in remote communities.
Jhpiego
Innovating to save lives.
Affiliated with Johns Hopkins, saves lives in 50+ countries.
Orbis International
Saving sight worldwide.
Runs the Flying Eye Hospital, an ophthalmic training plane.