Lent charity - Smile Train

It has become my practice over the last few years to give some luxury food item or another up for Lent, and to give the money I have thereby saved to a charity of my choice.

This year my chosen charity is Smile Train UK,  a charity which focuses on cleft lip and palate repairs.

Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren’t allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache.
The good news is every single child with a cleft can be helped with surgery that costs as little as £150 and takes as little as 45 minutes.

Smile Train describes their mission like this:

-To provide free cleft surgery for millions of poor children in developing countries.
-To provide free cleft-related training for doctors and medical professionals.
Until there are no more children who need help and we have completely
eradicated the problem of clefts.

Just look at the difference a cleft lip and palate repair can make:

Gabriel, before the op...      

... and after                       

Maria, before ...                                    

and after ...                             

Please consider supporting this charity. It costs £150 to repair a cleft lip and palate.