Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was today announced as the first goodwill ambassador for cleft charity organisation, Smile Train.
Aishwarya, who is celebrating her 36th birthday today, will partner with Smile Train, in association with her own charity, the Aishwarya Rai Foundation, to spread awareness and garner recourses.
As goodwill ambassador, Aishwarya will work to help Smile Train provide free cleft surgery to children in 78 developing countries around the world, including India.
"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," the actress said.
Smile Train currently has over 150 Smile Train partner hospitals in the country and has performed over 200,000 surgeries. In India alone, over one million children await surgery.
"Aishwarya's universal appeal and star power will be a priceless asset to our organisation, and we consider it a great privilege to have her represent our organisation," Smile Train president Brian Mullaney said in a statement.
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