SmileTrain.org: The Miss Universe Organization and Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft charity, today announced a new charitable partnership to help raise awareness of the issues faced by children living with unrepaired clefts in the developing world. The new relationship will provide opportunities for the reigning Miss Universe and international titleholders to get involved with Smile Train’s global initiatives in the 85+ countries where the charity helps children.
“We truly believe in what Smile Train represents – hope, joy, perseverance and transformation,” said Paula M. Shugart, President of The Miss Universe Organization. “We are extremely proud to work with an organization that is committed to delivering a positive impact to the communities in which we work, and are steadfast in our commitment to help support their efforts and long-term sustainability.”
Millions of children in developing countries with unrepaired clefts live in shame, but more importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing and speaking. Cleft repair surgery is simple, and the transformation is immediate. Smile Train’s sustainable model provides training and funding to empower local doctors in the developing world to provide 100%-free cleft repair surgery in their own communities. Since its founding in 1999, Smile Train has provided more than one million cleft repair surgeries across the world.
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