From May 31 to June 3, Miss World 2015 Mireia Lalaguna will travel to Kenya alongside Julia Morley, Miss World Chair and the founder of Beauty with a Purpose ambassador program, to visit local programs for Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft charity. During the visit they will have the opportunity to learn more about the organization’s sustainable model and meet with Smile Train’s local partners who are on the ground helping cleft patients 365 days a year.
In 2014, Miss World Kenya Idah Nguma teamed up with Smile Train Africa to help raise awareness for children born with clefts and to increase the number of cleft patients brought to Smile Train’s partner hospitals across Kenya. Through this collaboration, Idah has been a great advocate for Smile Train and with her involvement in the Beauty with a Purpose ambassador program, Idah set the ambitious goal to see that every baby born with a cleft in rural Kenya receives treatment.
Joined by 47 Miss World Kenya county representatives, Idah has been spreading the word about cleft treatment, visiting patient homes and working with local communities to mobilize and recruit patients for surgery at Smile Train’s partner hospitals, with the goal of increasing the number of patients receiving treatment in Kenya. Idah’s efforts, including speaking to the media, disseminating cleft materials and participating at corporate engagements, have made a strong impact increasing awareness and engagement in the region.
Since 2014, Smile Train has treated over 1,000 patients in Kenya.
“Miss World’s Beauty with a Purpose program gives contestants the opportunity to advocate for a cause and make a meaningful impact across global communities,” said Dr. Esther Njoroge, Regional Director, Smile Train Africa. “We are excited that Mireia will be joining Smile Train’s local programs in Kenya and have the chance to meet with some of the cleft children we help as part of the initiative.”
Mireia will also be awarding Idah with a one million Kenya shillings prize, to benefit Smile Train.
Across the African continent, Smile Train currently works with 223 partner surgeons and 204 partner hospitals. Since inception, Smile Train’s Africa partners have performed more than 74,000 cleft surgeries in 35 countries. East Africa currently represents approximately 40 percent of all Smile Train cleft surgeries in Africa.
