More than 10,000 cleft affected children and their families from resource poor communities will directly
benefit from this partnership.
Bengaluru, July 21, 2022 – Ashraya Hastha Trust, a Bangalore based charitable organization funded by
Infosys’ Co-Founder K. Dinesh and his family and Smile Train India, the country’s largest cleft focused
NGO have announced a five-year partnership with an aim to boost the cleft care ecosystem in India.
Ashraya Hastha Trust will support 10,000 cleft surgeries, five capacity building trainings and safety
medical equipment at Smile Train treatment centers across seven states to include Madhya Pradesh,
Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir.
The partnership was launched with an event at Smile Train’s treatment partner, CHL Hospitals at Indore
in the presence of Ms. Asha Dinesh, Trustee, Ashraya Hastha Trust, hospital cleft team, Smile Train
officials, cleft patients and families.
“We have worked closely with Smile Train India in the past and are completely aligned with their efforts to
support safe cleft treatment across the country. Their commitment and passion is unparalleled and
inspiring,” said Ms. Asha Dinesh, trustee at Ashraya Hastha Trust. “The consequences faced by children
with clefts, if not treated on time, are profound and often enduring. I have been a part of the cleft journey
as my daughter Divya was born with a cleft. With proper treatment, she leads a normal life today as a
successful woman entrepreneur. I empathize with mothers who may not have access to the care their
children need to live healthy and full lives. With this partnership, we intend to work together to better
facilitate safe, quality cleft care for children in need. We hope that we can collectively work towards
making healthcare affordable and accessible and influence all the ecosystem stakeholders to make policy
level changes so that no child with cleft is ever left behind ”
Speaking at the launch, Dr Jaideep Chauhan, Maxillofacial Surgeon and Smile Train Project Director at
CHL Hospitals, Indore said, “We at CHL Hospital, with support from Smile Train India have managed to
perform XX surgeries thus far. We are truly grateful to the additional support that Ashraya Hastha Trust
has extended and we hope to continue our journey with cleft warriors diligently.The medical equipments,
trainings and support that Smile Train and Ashraya Hastha Trust have provided us with is phenomenal
and we hope to put it all to best use. Our aim is to ensure safe surgeries, promising forever smiles to
children”
In India, an estimated 35,000 babies are born with a cleft lip and/or palate every year, and hundreds of
thousands of children with untreated clefts live in isolation and face difficulties with eating, breathing,
hearing and speaking. The partnership will focus on supporting cleft treatment in the seven identified
states, while also strengthening safety and best practices in cleft care.
Mamta Carroll, Smile Train’s Senior Vice President & Regional Director for Asia, expressed her gratitude
towards Ashraya Hastha Trust and their dedication towards the cause. She said, “Facilitating free, safe
and quality cleft treatment is Smile Train India’s priority. With this prestigious partnership, we hope to
continue supporting cleft surgeries by enabling underprivileged children born with clefts to live healthy
and productive lives. We aim to strengthen our local cleft ecosystem and reach children in some of the
most remote regions of the country.”
