Imagine having a sit down with all the people we have operated on for the past 13 years. Learning how their surgeries transformed their lives, their families’ lives, their perspective on life, their perception of themselves. So many inspiring, incredible and amazing stories would definitely see the light of day to empower even more people worldwide.
Alliance for Smiles doesn’t have the ability to go back to these countries with the sole purpose to retrieve these stories. As a result, many stories are lost.

Imagine our excitement when our former patients reach out to us on social media. Here is a story we received from a young Nigerian woman:

My name is Nafisah and I am Nigerian. I was born with a cleft lip 26 years ago. I had a difficult life because I born with a cleft lip. It has been a life without friends, and a life without hope for a future partner. People really saw me as a monster and a disabled girl. Sometimes I couldn’t go out because everyone would laugh at me because of my cleft anomaly. My story changed in January 2016 when Alliance for Smiles (AfS) came to my country to offer free surgery for those with cleft lip and palate anomalies, and I was the first beneficiary of their free surgeries. I was so happy after the surgery. I now go out, meet friends, make friends and I look beautiful. Thank you so much to Alliance for Smiles for making me smile. And thanks to AfS’s Ward Coordinator, Amanda Chandler for inspiring me with her own story. I miss her. When you fall, you shall rise. I wish to be your ambassador here in Nigeria and I would also love to travel with you for the next mission. Thanks & love you guys.