Jayashree Krishnan, a Texas-based educator and mother of two recently hosted a papercraft workshop in Irving, Texas to raise funds for Smile Train. The New York-based organization is an international charity that helps children with cleft lip and palate issues around the world.
Children born with a cleft lip, or palate, often have trouble breathing, eating, speaking and hearing, which impacts their development. They also face social exclusion and bullying which has detrimental effects on their emotional and mental well-being too. Smile Train provides training, funding, and resources to empower local doctors around the world to provide lifesaving cleft surgeries at no cost. Beyond cleft surgery, Smile Train also provides comprehensive cleft care through nutrition services, speech therapy, specialized orthodontics and dentistry, ear and hearing care, and emotional support, all intended to ensure patients’ long-term, successful rehabilitation.
Krishnan had previously organized fundraisers for children with disabilities and for patients of spinal cord injuries in Tamil Nadu. Now, through this fundraiser for Smile Train, she has raised enough funds to provide cleft surgeries to four children and help them lead a more fulfilling life. You can learn more about Smile Train here.
