(BPT) - March is National Nutrition Month, a time to reflect on the importance of nutrition in your life and worldwide. Proper nutrition provides the energy and essential nutrients you need to grow, move, think, and stay healthy. It plays a particularly critical role for the development and health of children.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), better nutrition can improve infant and child health, strengthen the immune system, and lower the risk of infections and non-communicable diseases. However, many children face barriers to proper nutrition. One group at particularly high risk of malnutrition is children born with a cleft of the lip and/or the palate.

The link between cleft conditions and malnutrition

Globally, one in 700 babies is born with a cleft. A cleft can form when lips and/or the roof of the mouth (the palate) does not fully form during fetal development. Because of this condition, infants may struggle to latch and suck effectively, making them less likely to receive breast milk and putting them at a higher risk of growth delays and malnutrition.

According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, cleft-affected children under 5 years old are more than twice as likely as their peers to be underweight. Without proper nutrition, these children struggle to thrive, which not only affects their overall health but also delays essential cleft treatment, including the life-changing cleft surgery they need and deserve.

The good news is that with proper early feeding support, nutrition interventions, and medical care, children with clefts can grow, thrive, and reach their full potential.

Changing the world one smile at a time

One organization that is dedicated to helping cleft-affected children worldwide is Smile Train. As the world's largest cleft-focused nonprofit, Smile Train works to ensure that every child with clefts receives the specialized feeding support they need not just to survive but to thrive.

Smile Train employs a unique approach to addressing the difficulties these children face. Instead of flying in doctors to perform cleft surgeries for a short time, the NGO partners with local, in-country medical professionals to support cleft treatments for patients in their own communities.

This sustainable model ensures children can receive the care they need when they need it, 365 days a year. Since 1999, the Smile Train has supported more than 2 million free cleft surgeries worldwide.

How proper nutrition turns into smiles

As part of its efforts to expand nutrition programs worldwide, Smile Train has pledged to increase investment in nutrition through awareness campaigns, advocacy, program expansion, partnerships, and training of health care workers. Through these initiatives, the organization hopes to:

• Provide over 1 million mothers and children with cleft-specific feeding counseling.
• Avert over 55,000 cases of child malnutrition.
• Empower more than 1,000 partner hospitals across 70+ countries to offer essential cleft nutrition services.
• Create a specialized network of over 250 partner hospitals that can provide advanced nutritional care for malnourished children with clefts.
• Reduce the number of children experiencing malnutrition before cleft surgery by 40%.

"I believe that no child should be denied cleft care because of malnutrition," said Dr. Barbara Delage, Director of Global Nutrition programs at Smile Train. "That's why we are expanding nutrition programs with our partners worldwide - to ensure that children with clefts are thriving, not just for surgery but for lifelong health."

Proper nutrition: The foundation for a healthy life

This National Nutrition Month, join Smile Train in raising awareness of the vital role nutrition plays in cleft care and support efforts to give every child the opportunity to grow, heal, and smile. To learn more about cleft lip and palate, the organization's programs, and to donate, visit SmileTrain.org.