Team India skipper Dhoni with cleft lipped children at his residence in Ranchi on Saturday. Telegraph Picture

Ranchi, May 30: For thousands of children born in Jharkhand with cleft lip and palate, there is a reason to smile again. Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has agreed to lend a helping hand to such children.

Dhoni joined the list of supporters of Smile Train, the world’s leading charity organisation for free treatment of cleft lip and palate.

Ranchi-based Devkamal Hospital and Research Centre will ensure free treatment for all the children born with the deformity.

“There are more than 7,000 children in Jharkhand born with cleft lip and palate. I appeal to every citizen, government official and NGO to identify all such cases and bring them to Devkamal Hospital. Together, we can light up the faces of thousands of such children,” Dhoni said in a pre-recorded message. He acknowledged the hard work of Anant Sinha, director, Devkamal Hospital and Research Centre, who is accredited with around 1100 cleft lip and palate operations during the past one and half years in Jharkhand as part of the project.

“We had approached Dhoni for moral support for our project more than five months ago. He talked to two of our patients at his residence on Saturday and agreed to join our list of supporters for the noble cause,” Sinha said.

Sinha pointed out that Smile Train has roped in Aishwarya Rai as its brand ambassador. However, he said, for Jharkhand, they needed a towering figure such as Dhoni.

“Initially, when we began this project in Jharkhand, members of the minority community were quite shy to bring their children to us. Our persuasion has now begun to bear fruit,” Sinha explained.

He pointed out that they were receiving able support from the deputy commissioners of the various districts.

Their next camp is at Chatra on Wednesday to be followed by a camp at Dhanbad on Saturday.