Smile Train’s First Filipino Speech Therapy Language App

“Technology has allowed us at Smile Train to deliver the speech therapy needs of children with cleft throughout this pandemic. Safety is our foremost priority, and I am glad that this app allows us to safely serve the needs of these kids in the comfort and safety of their own homes.” ~Kimmy Flaviano, Smile Train’s South East Asia Director

Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity, stands by its commitment to continue promoting comprehensive cleft care despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic with the launch of its online speech therapy services. With Smile Train Southeast Asia Director - Kimmy Flaviano. Hosted by Nina Corpuz, and will also be attended by Ms. Veronica Yu, Speech-Language Pathologist, faculty at the University of Sto. Tomas, and a partner of Smile Train. We’d be glad to share with you all the exciting features this app has to offer as well as the various opportunities this app can bring, not only for individuals who were born with a cleft palate but also for those who need speech-language therapy.

For the thousands of babies born with a cleft each year, speech therapy is an essential need. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has disrupted access to speech therapy services. Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity, stands by its commitment to continue promoting comprehensive cleft care despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic with the launch of its online speech therapy services. 

With telehealth emerging as an important pillar of healthcare delivery in the Philippines, Smile Train Philippines is launching the very first Filipino mobile speech application in the country designed for those who were born with a cleft. The app was developed to help parents, guardians, and children in accessing speech therapy services online. With kid-friendly features and lively graphics, the app leads to a wide array of educational videos and speech therapy sessions, all in Filipino.  The app also serves as a platform for more patients and families affected with cleft to connect with healthcare professionals to ensure that they can continue to receive comprehensive cleft care with minimal disruptions.

Since the start of the pandemic, Smile Train’s speech telehealth program in the Philippines has treated over 200 patients, providing them with more than 1,000 cleft care-related sessions— including speech therapy, nutritional support, breastfeeding guidance for mothers of babies with clefts, pre-surgical consultations, and psychosocial care. Smile Train envisions the app to be more than just a platform for learning, seeing it as a way to bring more smiles to cleft-affected families in the Philippines.

The Smile Train app also addresses a glaring gap in reaching kids with a cleft.

“With the app, distance is no longer a problem. Kids may start their speech therapy sessions which they otherwise would not have started without the app. Furthermore, the app encourages more Speech Pathologists to partner with Smile Train,” said “Partnering with Smile Train is life-changing, and I know that the Smile Train app will give many speech pathologists the fulfillment of knowing that they are making a difference in people’s lives.” ~Ms. Veronica Yu, a Speech Pathologist and the Lead Content Creator of the app.

“With or without the pandemic, digitalization of health services is definitely important as it allows patients to access health services in a more cost-effective way. This is precisely what the Smile Train speech app is trying to accomplish, providing hundreds of families with cleft access to speech therapy services at little to no cost at all, wherever they may be.” ~Jeo Paz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nifty Hero

Nifty Hero is the developer of the Smile Train app, advocating to help non-profit organizations in creating sustainable, cost-effective, and value-added health solutions to help organize, automate, and improve services offered.

The app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play in April. For more details about the app, visit http://smiletrainspeechapp.com/. For more information about Smile Train Philippines’ local efforts and to refer a patient in need, visit smiletrain.ph/get-help, follow Smile Train Philippines on Twitter and Instagram, and like them on Facebook.

 

Smile Train launches special edition beep™ cards featuring Celebrity Smile Makers

“We are excited to be able to contribute to this noble cause and to be of assistance to children with cleft. During these uncertain times, they continue to need special care and assistance. We are grateful that Smile Train has chosen to partner with us and provide us this opportunity to help out and provide cards that bring a message of hope.” ~Sharon G. Fong, Chief Commercial Officer of AF Payments Inc. 

Smile Train launches special edition beep™ cards featuring Celebrity Smile Makers

Smile Train Philippines, AF Payments Inc. partner to champion kids with a cleft through limited edition Smile Train beep™ cards featuring ambassadors. To sustain its goal to provide children with cleft with the urgent support and care they need, special edition (Marian Rivera, Catriona Gray, Megan Young) Smile Train beep™ cards will be introduced and made available at various MRT, LRT, and bus stations in NCR. The joint venture between Ayala Group and First Pacific Group behind the contactless smart card, beep™. 

Smile Train’s series of special edition beep™ cards will feature celebrity goodwill ambassadors.

“Naging part kami ni Dingdong [Dantes] ng 30,000th cleft surgery celebration sa San Fernandino Hospital in 2014, at doon ako unang naging saksi sa life-changing work ng Smile Train. Inspired ako by their story so ngayon I make sure to help as much as I can and spread awareness para mas maraming tao pa ang mabigyan ng libreng operasyon at other services for children with cleft.” [Dingdong [Dantes] and I were part of the 30,000th cleft surgery celebration at San Fernandino Hospital’s in 2014, and there, I was able to witness Smile Train’s life-changing work. I was inspired by them and moved to do my part in raising awareness for Smile Train to reach more children with cleft and provide them with free operations and services.”] ~Marian Rivera-Dantes, Celebrity Goodwill Ambassador, Actress, and Model

The August launch of the first in the series of special edition Smile Train beep™ cards coincide with the birthday month of Marian Rivera-Dantes. Rivera-Dantes has been an avid supporter of the cause and has been known to mobilize her clout to further push for advocacies she espouses. The actress previously celebrated her birthday by coming up with her own fundraising efforts and donating half a million pesos to Smile Train Philippines gained through sales of limited edition shirts in partnership with one of the Filipino brands she endorses.

Other celebrities featured on the special edition Smile Train beep™ cards include Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and Miss World Philippines 2013 Megan Young. Catriona and Megan have continued to support Smile Train Philippines as they raise awareness for the charity’s efforts in empowering local medical professionals to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care. A lot must be done for the 540 babies around the world born every day with a cleft, a serious health condition with potentially life-threatening complications such as difficulty in eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking.

Smile Train launches special edition beep™ cards featuring Celebrity Smile Makers

With thousands of Filipinos using them for everyday needs, especially for transportation, the charity sees this as an effective way to convey the message that help is at hand for those children in need of cleft lip and palate surgery or care. Smile Train hopes that whenever Filipino commuters encounter a child who needs help, they can simply refer to their beep™ cards to get the contact details of Smile Train.

More than 4,000 children are born with a cleft lip or palate annually in the Philippines, all of whom can greatly benefit from surgery and comprehensive cleft lip and palate care. Through its sustainable model, Smile Train has supported more than 1.5 million cleft palate surgeries in the Philippines since 1999. With the support of partners such as AFPI, Smile Train is confident that it can bring a smile to the lives of more Filipino children in the years to come.

For more information about Smile Train Philippines’ local efforts and to refer a patient in need, visit smiletrain.ph/get-help, follow Smile Train Philippines on Twitter and Instagram, and like them on Facebook.

To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.ph. For more information about Smile Train’s work in the Philippines, please contact philippines@smiletrain.org.

About Smile Train
Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children’s lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive.

 

Riz Cabrera, Baguio-based Artist, launches online art auction for Smile Train Philippines

“When I came across the Smile Train website, I was deeply moved by their advocacy. While I initially wanted to just be a channel of blessings for the patients, my goal was to raise awareness for this generation, specifically to those dealing with mental health issues just like myself. Although we all have our own personal problems and trials, if we would just look beyond ourselves, we can still be a message of hope to somebody. I believe that focusing on helping other people is therapy itself and partnering with Smile Train rekindles hope within me. ART ignites HEART. Nowadays, especially with the ongoing pandemic, we spend most of our time browsing or surfing the internet. I believe that the eyes are the windows of the soul. As an Artist, I have this obligation to penetrate souls with Love, Faith, and Hope through my art. Helping charities like Smile Train through arts can definitely move people to reach out.” ~Riz Cabrera, Baguio-based Artist

Beautiful charcoal drawings featuring Smile Train Global Ambassador Catriona Gray, Smile Maker Marian Rivera and patients by Riz Cabrera

Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity invites everyone to share the gift of smiles this holiday season. Visual artist, Riz Cabrera, has partnered with Smile Train to raise awareness for children born with a cleft through the launch of her online art auction which she hopes can contribute to sustaining Smile Train’s goal to provide children the urgent support and care needed.

Some of her paintings include Smile Makers Catriona Gray and Marian Rivera are all up for auction. More information can be found below and attached for your reference and use.

Every day, 540 babies are born around the world with this serious health condition – preventing them not only from smiling, but also posing difficulties in eating, breathing, and speaking. Through the auction, Riz hopes to help fund the surgeries and therapies that could transform the lives of Filipino cleft patients.

Visual artist, Riz Cabrera

For Riz, her passion for painting was ignited by hardships and these hardships have taught her to focus on helping others. This is why she is using her craft to help charities such as Smile Train. 

“Smile Train continues to advocate for individuals born with cleft and to providing free surgery and comprehensive cleft care to them and we look forward to partnering with various individuals who believe in our shared goal. We are grateful for the work Riz has done and continues to do for the benefit of Smile Train and we look forward to this generation to join our cause and act on behalfof children born with a cleft lip and/palate.” ~Kimmy Flaviano, Smile Train South East Asia Director 

This Christmas, you can bring a smile to the lives of people by supporting the auction. Check out https://www.32auctions.com/smile2020 to view the artworks. The auction runs until 24 December. Donations are also accepted on the site.  You may also follow Riz through her Facebook and Instagram accounts. For more information about Smile Train Philippines’ local efforts and to refer a patient in need, visit smiletrain.ph/get-help, follow Smile Train Philippines on Twitter and Instagram, and like them on Facebook.

About Smile Train
Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children’s lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.ph. For more information about Smile Train’s work in the Philippines, please contact philippines@smiletrain.org.

Smile Train Philippines Celebrates World Smile Day

“Despite the pandemic, Smile Train is keen on celebrating all of the people who have contributed to their work and help change the lives of babies born with untreated clefts in the Philippines. We’ve adapted various avenues and utilized technology to reach more patients and communities in the Philippines. Smile Train has always been and will continue to remain steadfast in advocating for children with cleft and providing free surgery and comprehensive cleft care to them. With the help of all our partners, we can truly make a difference to create more smiles.” ~Kimmy Flaviano, Smile Train South East Asia Director

Launches #540Today, conveys 540 babies around the world are born with a cleft every day

World Smile Day®, a day devoted to smiles and acts of kindness, will be celebrated by people all over the world on the 2nd of October. Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft organization, through its local entity, Smile Train Philippines, will be hosting an online event to raise awareness for children with clefts. Together with Smile Train ambassadors Marian Rivera, Catriona Gray, and Megan Young, the charity launches #540Today to convey and champion the 540 babies around the world who are born with a cleft every day. 

World Smile Day®, a day devoted to smiles and acts of kindness, will be celebrated by people all over the world on the 2nd of October. Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft organization, through its local entity, Smile Train Philippines, will be hosting an online event to raise awareness for children with clefts. Together with Smile Train ambassadors Marian Rivera, Catriona Gray, and Megan Young, the charity launches #540Today to convey and champion the 540 babies around the world who are born with a cleft every day. 

The crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions all over the world, including children born with a cleft lip and/or palate. With the global lockdown pushing for cities to establish stringent rules and regulations, thousands of babies are left untreated. It is estimated that COVID-19 has forced Smile Train partners to put more than 33,000 cleft surgeries on hold this year.

The event, which will be hosted Live on the Smile Train Philippines Facebook page at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, will allow Smile Train to bring more smiles into the homes of the Filipinos. More Smile Train ambassadors such as Tim Yap, Barbie Forteza, and Paul Marney Leobrera will take part in the festivities to encourage people to raise awareness for #540Today. They all share their experiences working with Smile Train and raise awareness for access to proper medical care and financial assistance needed by children born with cleft lip and/or palate.

Smile Train’s Team Empower will also take part in the celebration by inviting everyone to Ride for Smile Train Home Edition. Ride for Smile Train Home Edition is a virtual experience that will utilize two fitness platforms, Strava and Zwift, to challenge, engage, and grow the community of Smile Makers. Moreover, Smile Train's long-standing fitness partners, Beyond Yoga, and Electric Studio will be offering classes to help promote the cause. Beyond Yoga will be hosting a free yoga class on Facebook while Electric Studio will offer their Ride, Box, HIIT, Strength, and Flow classes for the benefit of Smile Train Philippines. 

Smile Train acknowledges the support and collaboration of its donors, partners, and ambassadors around the world as they continue to transform the lives of patients with cleft and help improve their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. The pandemic may have posed a challenge to the charity, but it is committed to applying sustainable solutions that would be of great help to their beneficiaries. 

For more information about Smile Train’s global efforts and to donate, please visit smiletrain.org. To learn more about Smile Train’s local programs in the Philippines, please visit smiletrain.ph, follow on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.