Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Named Smile Train’s
First Goodwill Ambassador
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Lends Her Support To The World's Leading Cleft Charity in
Association With Her Own Charity Organization, The ‘Aishwarya Rai Foundation’
New York, NY, November 1, 2009 – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, hailed by many as the most beautiful woman in the world, has today been announced as the first Goodwill Ambassador for Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft charity. Recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Aishwarya will now be adding one more role to her illustrious career. She will partner with Smile Train, in association with her own charity, the Aishwarya Rai Foundation, in numerous ways to spread awareness and garner recourses to help the worldwide movement.
Using her superstar status, her high wattage personality and global reach, Aishwarya will work with Smile Train to achieve an ambitious new goal in helping change the lives of over one million children worldwide who suffer from shame and isolation because of cleft lip and cleft palate. As Goodwill Ambassador, Aishwarya will actively work to help Smile Train to provide free cleft surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world, including India. This initiative will help raise awareness in India and around the world to the plight of children born with cleft.
Speaking in reaction to the worldwide announcement, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan mentions, “God has given me plenty of reasons to smile and I feel it's time to spread it around. There are a lot of children out there who so desperately need help, but can’t receive timely care because their families cannot afford this surgery or are ill-educated about this condition. Working with Smile Train, if I can make a difference in their lives, it will certainly make me feel honored and blessed.”
Smile Train currently has over 150 Smile Train partner hospitals in India and has performed over 200,000 surgeries there. However, the need is great. In India alone, over one million children await surgery and currently only 50% of children born with cleft in India ever get the care they so desperately need. Smile Train’s reach extends beyond India, with 1100 partner hospitals worldwide working to tackle the daunting backlog of over 4.7 million children living with unrepaired clefts.
“Aishwarya’s universal appeal and star power will be a priceless asset to our organization, and we consider it a great privilege to have her represent our organization, which does such important work in every corner of the globe,” said Smile Train President Brian Mullaney. “I look forward to working with her. Her poise, intelligence and dedication to our mission will catapult the work that we do to new and exciting heights.”
Awareness for the problem has been raised worldwide through Smile Train’s recent Oscar-winning film Smile Pinki, which movingly portrays one young girl’s journey in India as her cleft lip is repaired by a Smile Train doctor. Awareness, however, still remains the organization’s main problem. Smile Train is celebrating its tenth year and 500,000 surgeries and works so efficiently because it partners with local hospitals and doctors rather than flying in teams of Western doctors.
“Aishwarya is a global superstar, which makes her the perfect representative for our global organization,” Mullaney said. “There is no corner of the world where she isn’t known, and in each of those corners, there is a Smile Train hospital that is helping kids every day of the year.”
ABOUT AISHWARYA RAI
Aishwarya shot to stardom when she was crowned Miss World in 1994 and her career has progressed on a superlative ascent since she received the crown. Time magazine, calling her the Face of Indian Cinema, has placed her on their list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World Today.” She has graced the covers of thousands of magazines and she has received numerous awards for her prolific acting career. She has also received the most coveted honor from the Government of India, the Padmashree. Aishwarya has given her voice and support to many causes and charities, and continues to work actively to make a difference in people’s lives through her Foundation. She is the most recognizable and influential name in Bollywood, as well as a force to be reckoned with on the global stage.
ABOUT SMILE TRAIN
Smile Train is the world's leading cleft charity with thousands of partners and programs in 76 of the world's poorest countries. Our mission is to help the more than 4.7 million children in developing countries who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. We provide free cleft surgery to children from poor families that give children not just a new smile, but a new life. Now in its tenth year, Smile Train has helped over 548,000 children.
Media Contact:
Alexis Thomas
Smile Train Public Relations Manager
(212) 689-9199 ext. 253
email: athomas@smiletrain.org