Every child deserves the confidence to smile, speak, and dream without limits. With this in mind, Smile Train Philippines brought together children, families, healthcare partners, advocates, and communities on August 14 for Beyond the Smile, a community fair for cleft awareness.

The event served as a day of learning, connection, and empowerment that highlighted comprehensive cleft care and inspired more Filipinos to champion inclusion.  It featured a range of engaging activities, including an educational kiosk that helped visitors better understand cleft conditions and comprehensive cleft care, cleft care discovery sessions showcasing Smile Train’s life-changing services, a patient support and referral desk that connected families to available care, and a fireside chat where patients, families, healthcare professionals, and advocates shared stories of hope and resilience. Through these activities, attendees gained a deeper understanding of cleft conditions, helped dismiss common misconceptions, and discovered how they could contribute to building a more inclusive community.

The need for greater awareness remains significant 

Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cleft lip and palate are among the world’s most common birth differences and are highly treatable, yet many families continue to face barriers to accessing timely, comprehensive care.

That is why Beyond the Smile is a call to action to ensure that no child is left behind. It calls for greater collaboration to expand access to quality cleft care while fostering more inclusive communities where every child feels valued, supported, and empowered to succeed.

“Clefts affect far more than a child’s outward appearance; it impacts even basic functions like breathing and eating, and even their well-being as they grow into adulthood. Comprehensive cleft care includes essential treatments beyond cleft surgery, such as nutritional support, speech therapy, specialized orthodontics and dental work, hearing care, and psychosocial counseling – all important towards ensuring people with clefts not just live but thrive,” said John Manuel Flores, Smile Train’s Area Director for Southeast Asia.

“Children with clefts also need systems of support that continue long after treatment,” Flores added. “With families, healthcare professionals, schools, and communities working together, we create communities where every child feels accepted, included, and supported. That is why every conversation, every partnership, and every act of understanding helps bring us closer to a future where every child born with a cleft has access to the care they need and the opportunity to live without limits.”  

How Smile Train is Making it Happen 

For many families, receiving a cleft diagnosis can feel overwhelming. Through Smile Train’s network of local hospital partners and healthcare professionals, the organization helps ensure that children receive comprehensive cleft care and address their needs at every stage of their journey.

Recognizing that awareness begins beyond healthcare settings, Smile Train Philippines also partnered with the REX Education Foundation Inc. (REFI) to expand cleft education through literacy and community-based initiatives. The partnership helps equip children, schools, and local communities with a better understanding of cleft conditions while promoting empathy, acceptance, and inclusion.

“Education has the power to shape not only what children know, but also how they see and treat others,” said Dominic Leandre D. Buhain, Vice Chairman of REX Education Foundation Inc. “Through our partnership with Smile Train Philippines, we hope to foster greater understanding of cleft conditions at an early age, helping nurture classrooms and communities where every child feels respected, included, and empowered to thrive.” 

How Everyone Can Help 

Beyond the Smile encourages Filipinos to become advocates for children with clefts by learning more about the condition, challenging misconceptions, supporting affected families, and helping create communities where every child feels welcomed and valued. Small acts of understanding and inclusion can make a meaningful difference in a child’s confidence and quality of life.

Smile Train Philippines invites every Filipino to celebrate not only transformed smiles but also transformed lives. Every act of awareness, every conversation, and every show of support help build a future where children born with clefts are embraced for who they are and empowered to achieve their fullest potential.

Together, we can create a world where every smile is welcomed, every voice is heard, and every child is empowered to dream.