Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft-focused non-profit organisation, is set to bring together leading cleft care professionals from Africa and India for the upcoming Indo-Africa Cleft Conference in Goa, India.
The conference, scheduled for July 20 to 23, 2026, will connect two of the world’s largest and most dynamic regions in cleft care, with participants sharing experiences, innovations and solutions shaped by their respective healthcare environments.
Under the theme “Synergy 2026: Excelling Together,” the event will bring together more than 50 cleft care professionals from 18 African countries, including surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, speech therapists, orthodontists, nutritionists, researchers and healthcare leaders.
Smile Train Vice-President and Regional Director for Africa, Nkeiruka Obi, said South-South collaboration has played a significant role in strengthening the organisation’s cleft care programmes.
She expressed optimism that the conference would promote strategic partnerships and allow participants to benefit from the expertise and comprehensive cleft care approaches developed in both regions.
“India and Africa have near similar experiences and challenges in addressing clefts. By fostering stronger partnerships between Africa and India, the Indo-Africa Cleft Conference reinforces a shared vision of ensuring that every person born with a cleft has access to safe and high-quality surgery, comprehensive treatment, and lifelong care regardless of where they live,” she said.
Welcoming delegates to India, Senior Vice-President and Regional Director for Asia, Mamta Carroll, said the conference would promote interdisciplinary care, strengthen training and mentorship, advance research and encourage collaboration among cleft care providers.
“The conference’s robust programme will allow participants to gain practical insights into implementing and adapting comprehensive cleft care models while addressing common challenges faced across low-resource settings,” she said.
A cleft, which is a gap in the upper lip and/or palate, affects children globally, with one child being born with the condition every three minutes.
Through its “teach a person to fish” model, Smile Train has supported more than 2 million free, life-changing cleft surgeries in over 75 countries worldwide.
The upcoming conference builds on the success of the inaugural Indo-Africa Cleft Conference held in Nairobi in 2012.
It also seeks to institutionalise knowledge sharing between Africa and India by documenting successful models and creating sustainable partnerships that will continue beyond the conference.
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