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Smile Train, the world's
leading cleft charity, invited a group of this year's Miss Universe candidates
to participate in an empowerment workshop with some very special former cleft
patients at Taft Room, Seaside Blvd., Bay City, Pasay.
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The
Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has been involved in promoting awareness about
the severity of cleft lip and palate among children in partnership with the
International Cleft Charity Smile Train.
Continuing with this charity cause, a select group of seventeen Miss
Universe candidates: USA’s Deshauna Barber, Colombia’s Andrea Tovar, Indonesia’s Kezia Warouw, Jamaica’s Isable Dally, Myanmar’s
Htet Htet Htun, Mexico’s Kristal Silva, Haiti’s Raquel Pellisier, Nigeria’s
Unoaku Anyadike, India’s Roshmita Harimurtthy, China’s Li Zhenying, US Virgin
Island’s Carolyn Carter, Germany’s Johanna Acs, Great Britain’s Jaime Lee
Faulkner, Dominican Republic’s Rosalba Garcia, Argentina’s Estefania Bernal,
Vietnam’s Đặng Thị Lệ Hằng, engaged to a one-on-one dialogue some cleft
patients under the Smile Train international children charity held at the Taft Room
of Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, Friday morning.
During
the empowerment workshop, the candidates were able to speak with Smile Train’s
cleft patients about some of the changes in their lives since receiving free
cleft surgery sponsored by the organization, challenges they’ve overcome and
their dreams and ambitions. The titleholders were there to support the patients
and provide advice and words of encouragement about working toward their goals
and never giving up.
While
at the hospital, the titleholders were given the opportunity to learn more
about the organization’s sustainable model and interact with cleft patients,
parents, social workers and medical professionals who are on the ground helping
in the local community 365 days a year. Following the hospital visit and empowerment
workshop, Smile Train hosted a private Q&A panel discussion led by
television host Lexi Schulze, and some of the Miss Universe candidates at the
Conrad Hotel. The candidates had the ooportunity to reflect and discuss the
day’s worth of activities.
Miss
Myanmar Htet Htet Htun, a 24 year old model, has been involved by the Miss
Universe Myanmar Organization as a volunteer with Smile Train and wants to
raise awareness for those who are suffering with HIV.
Miss
India Roshmitha Harimurthy, a multilingual student at Mount Carmel College
pursuing her Master’s Degree in International Business, hopes to advocate for
healthcare and HIV awareness if she duplicates Sushmita Sen’s title conquest
when Miss Universe was held in Manila in 1994. She volunteers as a teacher at
Thanisandra Government Primary School in association with EFSA (Eco Foundation
for Sustainable Alternatives).
Miss
Nigeria Unoaku Anyadike, a Psychology graduate, is an advocate of Endometriosis
in her country and is very passionate about children. She said that if wins
Miss Universe, she hopes to have her own school and help counsel youths to
enable them to have a brighter future.
Miss Tanzania Jihan Dimack, a model and Administration Officer, would
want to raise awareness on Wildlife Conservation in Tanzania.
Latina
beauties Miss Mexico Kristal Silva would like to get involved in building homes
for those in need while Miss Dominican Republic Rosalba Abreu has volunteered
for the charitable organization “Corazones Nobles.”
Carribean
beauty Miss Haiti Raquel Pelissier is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Scientific
Research in Optometry and Vision and is working on a research project on the
regeneration of the optic nerve. She hopes to become the first Miss Universe to
find a cure for blindness.
It will
be recalled that reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach met with Smile Train’s
Country Director for the Philippines, Kimmy Flaviano, to kick-off the MUO’s
partnership with Smile Train inked in December 2015. Since then Wurtzbach has
lent her voice in raising awareness for children born with cleft lip and palate
in the developing world, including home country. In September 2016, Wurtzbach
joined Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan as Smile Train’s ambassadors for the
star-studded Charity Day to The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund participated by
charities’ celebrity ambassadors to conduct trades on the phone with clients.
“We are
extremely proud to work with Smile Train, an organization that is committed to
delivering a positive impact to communities in which we work, and we are
steadfast in our commitment to help support their efforts and long-term
sustainability,” said MUO president Paula M. Shugart.
Since
its founding in 1999, Smile Train has provided more than one million cleft
repair surgeries across the world. As official charity partner of MUO, Smile
Train hopes to mobilize MUO’s incredible voice to raise awareness for the vital
cause of cleft lip and palate repair and related treatment and help transform
lives in the process.
While Smile
Train Philippines is honored to be working with the Miss Universe Organization
to help raise awareness and bring more smiles to children with clefts,”said
Kimmy Coseteng-Flavaino, Country Director. “Since the beginning of the
partnership in December 2015, there has been great support and involvement from
the organization’s international titleholders.”
For more information about the
Smile Train’s global efforts and to make a donation, you may visit
smiletrain.org. Or follow Smile Train on Twitter and Instagram @SmileTrain and
like us on Facebook at facebook.com/SmileTrain. Report and Photos By Eton B. Concepcion for Manila Standard
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