From Cleft Surgery to Lifelong Impact: Kevin’s Journey with Smile Train in India

Early Days: Fighting to Breathe, Eat, and Grow  

As a child, Kevin Haokip often scribbled over his face in photos.

Born with a cleft in 1997 in Manipur, India, he struggled to breathe, eat, and gain weight. Only one hospital in his state offered cleft surgery, and the costs put it far beyond his family’s reach. But after four months of watching their baby cling to life, they took out a loan to give him the care he needed.

The surgery saved his life, but the outcome was incomplete, leaving Kevin to grow up self-conscious about his face.

School Years: Stigma Meets Resilience

At school, Kevin faced taunts, whispers, and isolation. He often ate lunch alone. His family’s constant love kept him going, but stigma lingered. “School introduced me to this environment where having a cleft was not the conventional beauty that people saw, and they started giving me all sorts of unwanted, unnecessary attention,” Kevin said. “And then I became more conscious that there must be something wrong with my cleft.”

A Turning Point: Smile Train Arrives in Manipur

In 2007, Smile Train launched their first partnership in Manipur, making high-quality cleft surgery accessible and free for local families. Our partners revised Kevin’s original surgery, and changed the course of his life. In the recovery ward, he learned about Smile Pinki, the Oscar®-winning short documentary about a Smile Train patient in India, and told his father:

I am going to work for this organization someday. I don’t know in what capacity, but I want to help others get free surgery just like I have had.

Choosing Confidence: A Second Smile Train Surgery

A few years later, Kevin signed up for a second Smile Train surgery. Unlike his first two surgeries, the decision to undergo this one was entirely his. And it was not easy.

Surgeries always come with pain, but I decided I wanted to go through with it rather than face unwanted attention the rest of my life.

Once the surgery healed, Kevin looked in the mirror and, for the first time, saw the person he always knew he was on the inside smiling back at him. He acted in plays, danced, and sang in his church choir. This time, people noticed his talent, not his cleft.

From Patient to Program Officer

Kevin pursued social work in university, then joined the development sector in Delhi after graduation. A few years later, at age 26, he achieved his dream when Smile Train hired him as a Program Officer.

Unlike charities that fly outside doctors on short-term mission trips into developing areas, Smile Train partners with local medical teams in 75+ countries to provide year-round, comprehensive cleft treatment — from cleft surgery to nutrition, speech therapy, dental and orthodontic care, and more — close to home for all in need.

Kevin is the primary contact for Smile Train’s Delhi-area partners, ensuring they have the resources, funding, and training to deliver excellent care.

“Whenever we have any issues related to our funding, our administrative activity, our documentation, our safety and quality protocols, we approach Kevin, and he gives us all the support required. I can vouch that Kevin is always approachable and his support is of great value”.

- Dr Karoon Agrawal, Senior Consultant, Plastic Surgery at National Heart Institute Cleft Centre, a Smile Train partner in Delhi

He is also the face of Smile Train to patients and their families, and this is where he really shines.

“I like to tell them, ‘Why are you trying to fit into the society when you were born to stand out?’”

"I used to ask myself, ‘Why was I born like this?’ Then, I met Kevin and he told me that this is a unique thing in me. It makes me different from others…. I felt very motivated by his story”.

– Himanshu, age 17, Smile Train patient  

Gratitude — and a Map for Others 

Looking through old photos today, Kevin feels only grateful: for his family’s love, for Smile Train’s care, for every bump that helped him chart a better path for others.

As Hoilhing, Kevin’s mother, said, “With God as my witness, I want to show my gratitude to Smile Train and their donors. You healed my son and eased the worries of many mothers like me.”

How Your Gift Powers Comprehensive Cleft Care

Your Gift Does More Than Heal a Smile:

• It funds the surgery that saves a life.
• It brings nutrition to a baby struggling to eat.
• It trains local doctors who become lifelong caregivers.
• It empowers children to speak with clarity and confidence.
• It builds stronger health systems, one child at a time.