I leave for Africa tomorrow morning, and I am still certain that despite my extensive planning, I am forgetting something very important. But at least I will leave Berlin knowing that we have 73 donors from 15 countries who have donated enough for 77 surgeries! We are really closing in on raising enough to help 100 children!!!

Our fantastic group of donors is making a marked difference in the lives of children in 71 of the world’s poorest countries. It’s amazing to see just how far $250 can go to improve a child’s life. Take for example, Angelica Joy (“AJ”) Fabroa, a two year old girl living in the Philippines and pictured below.

AJ’s parents were devastated when they found out that she had a cleft palate. They knew that this birth defect was totally correctable, but were unsure how they would pay for the relatively expensive $250 procedure. In search of a cure for their daughter, and also to find a solution to the feeding problems the cleft was causing, AJ’s parents put their young infant in the care of local mission that treated children with clefts.

AJ had been underweight since birth and the cleft-induced feeding problems she experienced had exacerbated this issue. The local mission evaluated AJ and would not operate due to her limited physical stature. When the Fabroa family returned a second time, AJ was still too small for the operation. This time, the mission advised AJ’s parents that her low body weight warranted immediate hospitalization.

AJ’s parents could never afford to pay for the cost of a hospital stay and, though terribly distraught, they began searching for another alternative. But a solution found them. A social worker told the family about The Smile Train and within weeks AJ had both the nourishment and the surgery she so desperately needed! Now AJ is eating normally and learning how to speak! All because of a donation some concerned citizen a world away made to The Smile Train!

During the last week, Ole Strum, the founder of a website called Cleftworld, an online resource and archive for cleft-related questions, found the Summit for Smiles blogsite. Ole grew up in Africa and is currently living with his family in Australia. Cleftworld is a great site and I encourage you to check it out, but what is really interesting is how Ole got started with this endeavor.

Ole has a 16 month old son named Per who was born with a cleft and lip palate. Before Per was born, Ole had set up a blog to chronicle the pregnancy and his son’s life, but Per’s cleft focused the blog on linking families who are experiencing similar circumstances. Ole told me that before Per got the corrective surgery, he and his wife were very aware of other people’s reactions. They were not overly bothered, but definitely felt weird by the looks they were getting when people saw Per’s face. So the couple decided to come up with a t-shirt design (logo to the right) which they printed up. By making a feature of Per’s cleft, the family invited people to become comfortable with his cleft. Ole said, “People reacted much better - it’s like they instantly knew that we were okay with it and that they could ask questions rather than trying to gloss over it.”

Remember, if you are an ADC employee, then the ADC Foundation will match up to $1,000 of your contribution and it doesn’t count against your individual annual matching-gift program limits. No paperwork to fill out, just donate and email me (seth.cochran@gmail.com) and we will take care of the rest!

Well, there are only days left before I head down to Africa and between procuring visas, getting all my immunizations, and finding US Dollars printed after 2003, I am scrambling to make sure that all my bases are covered. But I am happy to report that we now have 59 donors from 14 countries who have donated enough for 67 surgeries!

100% of all this global generosity is making a substantial difference to poor children around the world. This money has an immediate and tangible impact and when you hear the stories of what these kids and their families go through, $250 seems like a small price to pay to make such an enormous difference. After 12 grueling years, Erick Soita, who is pictured below, benefited from a simple operation made possible by The Smile Train.

Erick is from Kimili, a small village in Kenya that had never seen or heard of a child with a cleft palate before he was born. Besides being overcome by sorrow, Erick’s parents were also shunned by their tribe, who saw Erick as a bad omen.

Life provided Erick with more than his share of challenges. He found no reprieve from exclusion and ostracism. Children at school taunted him when the simple task of eating and drinking would cause food and drink to stream out of Erick’s nose. Even after school, Erick’s tribe forced him into solitude.

When Erick finally received the corrective surgery, his father was overjoyed that Erick would have the same opportunities as other children, remarking, “You cannot be happy when your child is not happy. I am so thankful to those people who have helped my family. They are welcome to come to my home anytime.”

Kenya has a special place in this installment of the blog. Besides being the home of a smiling Erick Soita and his family, Kenya is also the country I am flying into and out of for my trip up Kilimanjaro. I will have a few days free while I wait for my flight back to Berlin and I asked The Smile Train if I could possibly visit a local clinic to see first hand how your donations are materializing to improve lives. Well, today I was invited to visit a Smile Train clinic in Nairobi! Of course, I am thrilled to go and cannot wait to report back to all of you on how your hard earned money is being put to work!

Remember, if you are an ADC employee, then the ADC Foundation will match up to $1,000 of your contribution and it doesn’t count against your individual annual matching-gift program limits. No paperwork to fill out, just donate and email me (seth.cochran@gmail.com) and we will take care of the rest!