Smile Train Vice President and Regional Director for Africa Dr. Esther Njoroge-Muriithi has been selected to serve as an Advisory Group Member for the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM) for UHC2030.
Dr. Njoroge-Muriithi has represented Smile Train on several Civil Society Organization (CSO) platforms and events including the G4 Alliance, CORE Group and UNGA73 side events advocating for Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The CSEM is a growing global civil society movement with over 1000 members from more than 850 organizations in 100+ countries. Membership in the CSEM is open to all civil society representatives advancing health, financing and governance agendas that relate to achieving UHC.
As a member of the Advisory Group, she will help strengthen a broad and inclusive UHC movement, which aims to influence policy design and implementation and facilitate citizen-led accountability. Her voice will join other strong CSO voices to contribute significantly to UHC2030, ensuring systematic attention is directed to the needs of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations so that ‘no one is left behind’.
“Our governments have made the commitment to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030. It is our role as CSOs and NGOs to advocate for that commitment to be honored. I am excited to be at the frontline, helping to shape the journey and holding our political leaders accountable for the health of their citizenry,” noted Dr. Njoroge-Muriithi.
Smile Train is the world’s largest cleft organization that empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. Smile Train advances a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children’s lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive.
Dr. Njoroge-Muriithi joined Smile Train in 2008 as a volunteer and has since become a leader within Smile Train and the UHC landscape. During her tenure, Smile Train Africa’s programs have grown in number and scale, expanding to include partnerships with 254+ hospitals and reaching 113,000+ patients born with cleft lip and/or palate.
A medical doctor, Dr. Njoroge-Muriithi also holds an MPH specializing in Health Systems Management. She is a qualified accountant under the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and holds several other certificates.
Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children’s lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive.
