Dubai: Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft-focused charity, has reinforced its commitment to help train medical professionals and conduct free cleft surgeries for cleft-affected people as it aims to increase the number of operations across the region.

Ten years after opening its Dubai office in 2014, Smile Train has focused its efforts on fundraising activities in MENA and has touched the lives of more than 640 thousand cleft-affected people from across the region, bringing $20 billion in economic benefits to the region.

It comes at a time where Smile Train recently released a report titled ‘Smile Train at 25: $69 Billion in Impact’, showing its work boosting economies by $69 billion in more than 90 countries around the world, while giving patients a combined 12 million total of productive years of their lives back.

Today, Smile Train operates in 13 countries in the region including Egypt, India and Pakistan. Between 2001 and 2023, the organisation has performed 10,173 surgeries in Egypt, bringing $645,506,101 million to its economy while 528,065 surgeries were conducted in India, benefiting its national economy by $16,602,782,649 million. In the same period, 91,262 people in Pakistan benefitted from Smile Train’s surgeries, recording $2,516,862,764 economic growth.

Smile Train aims to conduct more cleft surgeries in the MENA region, having sponsored more than two million safe, high-quality, and free cleft surgeries globally. To help empower local doctors, the organisation provides important training and education opportunities to surgeons, nurses and medical staff, while funding equipment and supplies.

Afaf Meky, Executive Manager, of Smile Train UAE, said: “Our goal has always been to touch children’s lives for the better and this remains true to this day. Not only have we been able to conduct more than 640 thousand surgeries for cleft-affected people of different ages across the MENA region so they can thrive and fulfil their ambitions but this has also had a positive effect on the national economies while also training medical professionals.”

“By being based in Dubai, we have witnessed how the UAE is stepping forward to look after people across the world – whether it is through donations or access to basic necessities, and we are determined to play our part and ensure people can have cleft surgeries and contribute to the future.”

A cleft occurs when certain body parts and structures do not fuse together during fetal development. Clefts are a common birth difference that can involve the lip and/or the roof of the mouth and affect an estimated 200,000+ babies every year globally.

Since being established in 1999, Smile Train has awarded more than $38 million in education and training grants to medical professionals, supported more than 600,000 families with funding for costs related to accessing cleft care, and worked with more than 6,000 partner surgeons and 4,000 partner healthcare centres.

About Smile Train

Smile Train is the world’s largest cleft-focused organization, with a sustainable and local model of supporting surgery and other forms of essential care. Over the last 25+ years, we have supported more than 2 million safe, high-quality, and FREE cleft surgeries, and will continue to do so until every child in need with a cleft has access to the care they deserve.

For media enquiries, please contact Smiletrain@sevenmedia.ae