A farmer surnamed Wang (right), his parents and his son, smile for the camera outside their house in Huzhu county, Qinghai Province on December 16. The farmer and his son each lived with cleft lip and palate until last year. Photo courtesy of Smile Train (Photo source: Global Times)Photo Gallery>>>

BEIJING, Dec. 21 -- For a long time, 27-year-old farmer surnamed Wang and his infant son could only wish of smiling and speaking normally. But now, they have good reasons to do both, after they received free surgeries to fix their cleft lip and palate.

The defects were the cause of significant misfortune for the father and his son, who is two years old. Employers often turned down Wang because of his unclear speech and Wang's wife left the family out of frustration with the hardship.

But the two, who live in Huzhu county, Qinghai Province, saw hope on the horizon after the international foundation Smile Train agreed to help them last year. They were able to smile after the surgeries, and the father was able to speak clearly.

"When we found the pair, the boy wasn't able to smile," Shell Xue, China chief project officer of the Smile Train, told the Global Times Sunday.

"The wife has left the family after the baby was born. The father was trying to find a job but was refused three times since he couldn't speak clearly," she said.

The foundation's goal is to help every cleft patient up to 40 years old who can't afford surgery. The organization arrived in China in 1999 and it spends more than 100 million yuan ($14 million) a year.

It has cooperation agreements with 397 hospitals qualified to do cleft surgeries in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Cleft is an opening or deformity on the lip formed before birth.

The patients need to register at one of the hospitals and get a doctor's confirmation that they are in financial need and qualify for the surgery.

Some 180,000 people have received successful surgeries.

The foundation hopes to treat all needy patients within five years.

Xue said there are about 25,000 new born cleft babies every year.

And the foundation helps about 30,000 people with surgery annually.

"Many who live in remote areas don't know us or know how to apply for aid. That's our biggest worry," Xue said.

Han Liang, vice general secretary of Chinese Stomatological Association, said the incidence of cleft rate in China is about 1/500 to 1/1000.

"Cleft is a congenital defect. Factors including heredity, virus infections and radiation all will increase the rate of the defect," Han told the Global Times.

Many cleft people in rural areas do not know the defect could be remedied, Han said.

He added that there are about 1,000 surgeons available, which is insufficient.

In China, Smile Angel Foundation, another charity founded in 2006 by pop singer Faye Wong and her actor husband, Li Yapeng, whose daughter was born with the defect, also helps with the problem.