SINGAPORE. Dubai Duty Free is the latest leading travel retailer to show its support for The Moodie Davitt Report’s Smile Raising Charity Dinner, to be held on Saturday 6 May at Hotel Fort Canning, Singapore.

As reported, the Smile Raising Charity Dinner will raise funds and visibility for international cleft charity Smile Train. A Gold Partner of the event, Dubai Duty Free has donated five Millennium Millionaire tickets – for a chance to win US$1 million dollars – to be given away at the dinner and has also donated US$4,000 through the Dubai Duty Free Foundation.

Dubai Duty Free’s Millennium Millionaire promotion offers participants a one-in-5,000 chance to win US$1 million, with regular draws taking place at Dubai Duty Free shopping complex

The Tax Free World Association (TFWA), which hosts TFWA Asia Pacific from 7-11 May in Singapore, has pledged to take two Platinum tables – a strong show of support from the leading industry association.

Other bookings to date include Ever Rich Duty Free, Changi Airport Group, Duty Free Global, Edrington Group, Estée Lauder Travel Retail, One World Duty Free, Regent Asia Group, Valiram, Wonderful Pistachios, Purple, Global Drinks and International Korea Tobacco, owner of fast-growing cigarette brand Pointful Korea.

Numerous individual places have also been reserved. Places remain available although they are being sold fast so we encourage potential participants to book now.

We also urgently need more support in terms of high-value prizes for the live and silent auctions on the evening.

Sunil Tuli and his wife Shikha (centre front in yellow) with members of the local medical team and Smile Train Area Director – South Asia Renu Mehta (centre, back row)

Sunil Tuli, the Group CEO for King Power Group (Hong Kong), also recently underlined his commitment to the Smile Raising Charity Dinner and cleft charity Smile Train.

Tuli, who has reserved a table at the dinner, recently visited the B&B Hospital, a Smile Train partner in Kathmandu, Nepal. There he and his wife Shikha met Smile Train Area Director – South Asia Renu Mehta, together with the local medical team, patients and their parents.

Individual places can be booked for US$400 each. Gold tables of ten are available for US$4,000 and Platinum tables of ten for US$7,500. Other special support and partnership packages are available.

For more details or to reserve a table or individual place, see the official Smile Raising Charity Dinner website or email Jeannie Wong at Jeannie@MoodieDavittReport.com  or Vincci Chung at Vincci@MoodieDavittReport.com headed ‘Smile Raising’.

Smile Train Case Study 5

Meet Lian – the mother of Smile Train’s 25,000^th patient in Vietnam – and her sons Dat and Quy

A smile that says it all: Lian with her youngest son Dat

Lian lives in Hai Phong, Vietnam with her husband and three sons, two of whom were born with a cleft.

Lian and her husband, Xuan Son, were married in 2005 and welcomed their first child – a happy, healthy boy – a year later. After seven years they had their second son, Quy, who was born with a cleft.

“We were upset and very worried for his future, until we heard that a mission of foreign doctors would be landing in our city soon to perform cleft surgeries for free,” Lian explains.

The child had surgery but, just a few days later, the stitches in his lips split. “We didn’t know what to do, so we just left them that way. We felt we didn’t have a choice; we don’t have a lot of money and didn’t know of any local hospital that could help us. The mission trip had already flown away.”

Playtime for brothers Dat and Quy

In 2019, Lian was pregnant again and, after an ultrasound, learned that the baby was a boy and that he too would have a cleft.

“This made us very sad; another child whose future we needed to worry about,” Lian says. “But our doctor gave us hope that he could get good treatment and grow up to live a happy, healthy life.”

Dat was born in February 2020, just before the pandemic. “I knew from Quy that babies with clefts are hard to feed; milk often drips out of their noses or chokes them. It can feel like they will never gain weight no matter how much you try to feed them.

“But that experience also taught me basic techniques for feeding such a baby, so my plan was to work hard to keep Dat as healthy and well fed as I could so that he would be strong enough for surgery when the next mission trip arrived.”

Sadly, however, no missions came. “As we waited, our hopes slowly faded. Day by day, Dat seemed to be wasting away with waiting.”

Dat just before his Smile Train-supported cleft surgery

Lian asked at the hospital where Dat was born; she searched on the internet, asking anyone she thought would be able to help. “And then I found what I was looking for: Ha Dong General Hospital in Hanoi offered free cleft treatment every day of the year thanks to their partnership with an organisation called Smile Train.

“I messaged them and quickly received a response. We immediately left to meet the doctors, and they tested Dat and prepared him for surgery right away. We were so happy that we couldn’t believe it. It was like a miracle to us; our hope was revived. Then they made us even happier by offering to fix Quy’s surgery from so long ago, also for free. We did not even know this was still possible, because if we had, we would have sought to have him treated much sooner.”

Happy together: Another snapshot of Dat and his older brother Quy

A second ‘miracle’ came as Lian and her husband had saved money to cover travel costs to the hospital which was some 90 minutes away. The cleft team told them that Smile Train would cover those expenses, so the couple had money to care for the children after the surgeries.

Understandably, on Dat and Quy’s surgery day, Lian was fraught. “But the doctors and nurses helped me get through it. They gave me a lot of good advice and shared more information about clefts that I did not know before.

“I understand now that clefts are curable and that, with follow-up treatment, my children can live as healthy a life as anybody else. They also showed me pictures of a lot of their previous patients, all of whom turned out great. That made me calmer and helped me prepare myself for the bright future ahead of us.

Dat and Quy with their father Xuan Son after the boys’ cleft surgeries and (on the right) a lighthearted moment with Dr. Hoc Trinh

“When I saw my children coming out from the operation room, I was relieved that everything went well and determined to give them all the best that they deserve. As they recovered, the hospital staff told us that Dat was Smile Train Vietnam’s 25,000th patient.”

Both surgeries were successful and Dat and Quy recovered quickly. Quy returned to school where his friends were surprised by the change in him. They became friendlier and the two boys became more active.

Dat is now in kindergarten. “I believe he will have no trouble when he starts elementary school in the next few years,” his mother says.

“I feel so grateful to the cleft team at Ha Dong General Hospital, Smile Train, and all the people who have helped my family find perfect smiles for our children.”

One of Singapore’s most renowned heritage buildings, Hotel Fort Canning bears a storied past that dates back to the early 20th century

About The Smile Raising Charity Dinner

The Smile Raising Charity Dinner at Singapore’s Hotel Fort Canning marks our 21^st year in business and our fourth charity dinner to be held in Asia. Previous events in Hong Kong (2007 and 2012) and Singapore (2019) have raised almost US$1 million collectively for the nominated charities.

Smile Train has been among The Moodie Davitt Report’s preferred charities since 2007 when the Hong Kong gala dinner raised over US$300,000 for the cause.

Over the past 15 years, we have helped generate more than US$2.5 million for Smile Train through our own donations (including from The Virtual Travel Retail Expo and The Trinity Forum), charity dinners; the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fun runs in Dubai and around the world; and even a world-record, highest altitude rock gig at the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro called The Chasing Rainbows Tour.”

SINGAPORE. Sunil Tuli, the Group CEO for King Power Group (Hong Kong), has underlined his commitment to cleft charity Smile Train, the beneficiary of The Moodie Davitt Report’s ‘Smile Raising’ Charity Dinner to be held on Saturday 6 May at Hotel Fort Canning, Singapore.

Tuli, who has personally paid for a table* at the dinner, has just returned from a visit to B&B Hospital, a Smile Train partner in Kathmandu, Nepal. There he and his wife Shikha met Smile Train Area Director – South Asia Renu Mehta, together with the local medical team, patients and their parents.

“There is such great work being done here,” Tuli wrote in a subsequent note to Smile Train Senior Vice President, Community and Ambassador Development Troy Reinhart, who helped arrange the visit.

“Thanks very much to Renu who is so dedicated and passionate about Smile Train and of course the entire medical team at B&B. Such great people making so much of a difference to lives of little children. We were very impressed and looking forward to working together in our small way.”

Sunil Tuli, ‘Smile Maker’, pictured at the B&B Hospital in Kathmandu. Pictured below with members of the local medical team are Shikha Tuli (centre front in yellow) and Smile Train Area Director – South Asia Renu Mehta (centre, back row)

Industry support for the event is gathering strong momentum. Tax Free World Association (TFWA), which hosts TFWA Asia Pacific from 7-11 May in Singapore, has pledged to take two Platinum tables – a nice show of support from the leading industry association.

Others to order tables so far include Changi Airport Group, Duty Free Global, Edrington Group, Estée Lauder Travel Retail, One World Duty Free, Regent Asia Group, Valiram and Wonderful Pistachios. Part tables have been booked by Purple and Global Drinks with numerous individual places also reserved.

*Gold tables of ten are available for US$4,000 and Platinum tables of ten for US$7,500. Individual places can be booked for US$400 each and other special support and partnership packages are available. We also seek high-value prizes for the silent and live auctions. One leading sector retailer has donated two extraordinary prizes which will be the subject of a separate announcement.

For more details or to reserve a table or individual place, see the official Smile Raising Charity Dinner website or email Jeannie Wong at Jeannie@MoodieDavittReport.com  or Vincci Chung at Vincci@MoodieDavittReport.com headed ‘Smile Raising’.

Some of the young patients whose lives (and those of their parents) have been transformed by Smile Train

This little infant’s life will be unimaginably easier thanks to the early cleft surgery that is about to take place

One of Singapore’s most renowned heritage buildings, Hotel Fort Canning bears a storied past that dates back to the early 20th century. Today, the hotel’s architecture continues to retain much of its colonial glamour, combining it with modern elements of the surrounding parklands.

The Smile Raising Charity Dinner event marks our 21^st year in business and our fourth charity dinner to be held in Asia. Previous events in Hong Kong (2007 and 2012) and Singapore (2019) have raised almost US$1 million collectively for the nominated charities.

Smile Train has been among The Moodie Davitt Report’s preferred charities since 2007 when the Hong Kong gala dinner raised over US$300,000 for the cause.

Over the past 15 years, we have helped generate more than US$2.5 million for Smile Train through our own donations (including from The Virtual Travel Retail Expo and The Trinity Forum), charity dinners; the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fun runs in Dubai and around the world; and even a world-record, highest altitude rock gig at the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro called The Chasing Rainbows Tour.”

SINGAPORE. The Moodie Davitt Report’s ‘Smile Raising’ Charity Dinner, to be held on Saturday 6 May at Hotel Fort Canning, Singapore, has attracted further encouraging support.

As reported, the Smile Raising Charity Dinner will raise funds and visibility for international cleft charity Smile Train.

Tax Free World Association (TFWA), which hosts TFWA Asia Pacific from 7-11 May in Singapore, has pledged to take two Platinum tables – a strong show of support from the leading industry association. This is one of a number of additional table and individual seat pledges in recent days.

The dinner will be held on the eve of the TFWA Asia Pacific show. Gold tables of ten are available for US$4,000 and Platinum tables of ten for US$7,500. Individual places can be booked for US$400 each and other special support and partnership packages are available.

For more details see the official Smile Raising Charity Dinner website. To reserve a table or place, please email Vincci Chung at Vincci@MoodieDavittReport.com or Jeannie Wong at Jeannie@MoodieDavittReport.com headed ‘Smile Raising’.

One of Singapore’s most renowned heritage buildings, Hotel Fort Canning bears a storied past that dates back to the early 20th century. Today, the hotel’s architecture continues to retain much of its colonial glamour, combining it with modern elements of the surrounding parklands.

In the run-up to the event we will be sharing some of the Smile Train stories, introducing you to those whose lives have been changed thanks to the charity (see below for Case Study 3). We will also report on location from Smile Train clinics.

The Smile Raising Charity Dinner event marks our 21^st year in business and our fourth charity dinner to be held in Asia. Previous events in Hong Kong (2007 and 2012) and Singapore (2019) have raised almost US$1 million collectively for the nominated charities.

Smile Train has been among The Moodie Davitt Report’s preferred charities since 2007 when the Hong Kong gala dinner raised over US$300,000 for the cause.

Over the past 15 years, we have helped generate more than US$2.5 million for Smile Train through our own donations (including from The Virtual Travel Retail Expo and The Trinity Forum), charity dinners; the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fun runs in Dubai and around the world; and even a world-record, highest altitude rock gig at the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro called The Chasing Rainbows Tour.

Smile Train Case Study 3

Meet Susanna who had to relearn to speak at the age of 20

“Smile Train brought a smile to my face…”

Susanna discovered at a very early age that childhood with an untreated cleft palate can be long, lonely and miserable.

As a youngster in Ogun State, Nigeria, she had no friends. But, that wasn’t for lack of trying. Like all the other children at her school, Susanna would run to greet new classmates. But they, along with many of her classmates, laughed in her face the moment she opened her mouth.

They never let Susanna finish a sentence. So she quickly learned to stop trying.

The same children would notice her at lunchtime when sips of water leaked out through her nose and her food stuck in her palate. No one came anywhere near her when this happened; but she felt their stares like daggers.

Susanna survived her childhood and teenage years thanks to her family’s love and support and her own unwavering belief that somehow, better days were ahead. She was 20 years old when she learned that the cleft surgery she scarcely dreamed possible was available for free at the University College Hospital Ibadan, thanks to its partnership with Smile Train.

Susanna describes her Smile Train surgery and later therapy with speech specialist Dr A. A. Olusanya (right) as life-changing

“I could not afford the surgery so I am very grateful to Smile Train,” she says. “In fact, when I woke up and I opened my mouth and took the mirror and I was happy, very, very happy. Unbelievable. Like my whole life had changed.”

Surgery coincided with Susanna going to study chemistry at the University of Ibadan. Free of her past, she felt she could, for the first time, face everything with a confident smile. She soon realised, however, that surgery alone was not enough to heal old wounds. As an infant, Susanna had learned to speak with no roof to her mouth, so having a closed palate after so many years, made speaking more difficult.

Once again Smile Train was there for her, through free, ongoing speech therapy from Dr. A. A. Olusanya, a local expert specially trained in treating cleft patients’ unique speech needs.

“I discovered that my pronunciation was better and clearer,” she says. “I can now speak anywhere I want to speak. In fact, I am able to speak even to a large number of people and I won’t feel inferior or feel that they won’t hear me clearly. I’m able to make more friends.”

Just keep singing… and smiling: Susanna performing at the Sing and Smile Club’s Christmas concert

Susanna is not only speaking everywhere, she is singing, too, taking centre stage with the Ibadan Sing and Smile Club, a choir made up of local Smile Train patients.

“Smile Train brought a smile to my face. The future is bright, but now it’s brighter with the smile. Thank you, Smile Train.”

SINGAPORE. The Moodie Davitt Report’s ‘Smile Raising’ Charity Dinner charity dinner to be held on Saturday 6 May at Hotel Fort Canning, Singapore, is attracting encouraging support.

As reported, the Smile Raising Charity Dinner will raise funds and visibility for international cleft charity Smile Train.

Tables have been booked in the past few days by Sunil Tuli (King Power Group Hong Kong CEO), Changi Airport Group, Duty Free Global. Wonderful Pistachios, through Director of Sales, Australia, NZ, SE Asia and Global Travel Retail James Kfouri are also kindly supporting the event. Many industry figures have also booked individual seats.

The dinner will be held on the eve of the TFWA Asia Pacific show. Gold tables of ten are available for US$4,000 and Platinum tables of ten for US$7,500. Individual places can be booked for US$400 each and other special support and partnership packages are available.

For more details see the official Smile Raising Charity Dinner website. To reserve a table or place, please email Vincci Chung at Vincci@MoodieDavittReport.com or Jeannie Wong at Jeannie@MoodieDavittReport.com headed ‘Smile Raising’.

In the run-up to the event we will be sharing some of the Smile Train stories, introducing you to those whose lives have been changed thanks to the charity (see below for Case Study 2). We will also report on location from Smile Train clinics.

The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said, “Smile Train is an extraordinary organisation that has been close to our heart and that of the travel retail industry for the past decade and a half.

“As a customer-facing industry, travel retail understands the priceless value of a smile. Let’s come together to put a smile on the faces of children all around the world for whom that simple, most beautiful human gesture is so difficult. Please support Smile Train and our endeavours by booking your table or individual seat and/or by providing live or silent auction prizes and supporting us in any other way suitable.”

One of Singapore’s most renowned heritage buildings, Hotel Fort Canning bears a storied past that dates back to the early 20th century. Today, the hotel’s architecture continues to retain much of its colonial glamour, combining it with modern elements of the surrounding parklands.

The Smile Raising Charity Dinner event marks our 21^st year in business and our fourth charity dinner to be held in Asia. Previous events in Hong Kong (2007 and 2012) and Singapore (2019) have raised almost US$1 million collectively for the nominated charities.

Smile Train has been among The Moodie Davitt Report’s preferred charities since 2007 when the Hong Kong gala dinner raised over US$300,000 for the cause.

Over the past 15 years, we have helped generate more than US$2.5 million for Smile Train through our own donations (including from The Virtual Travel Retail Expo and The Trinity Forum), charity dinners; the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fun runs in Dubai and around the world; and even a world-record, highest altitude rock gig at the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro called The Chasing Rainbows Tour.

Smile Train Case Study 2

Meet Akuya and her parents Rosa and Kossi

Akuya with her loving mother Rosa

When Akuya was born, her parents Rosa and Kossi, faced almost unbearable harassment from their neighbours in rural Toga, West Africa.

“My pregnancy with Akuya was very difficult compared to my other two pregnancies,” Rosa explains. “I suffered a lot and when I saw Akuya I was scared; I did not know if I would be able to take care of her.”

Neither Rosa nor her husband Kossi had any idea what a cleft was. They took their baby to a nearby hospital where they were given an ointment. “We thought that would make it go away. But it didn’t. So, I accepted Akuya the way she was because she is a human being and God gave her to me like this.”

Akuya before her life-changing Smile Train surgery

Rosa had breastfed her other two children but with Akuya she struggled. “I had to express the milk into a cup; if she wanted water, I had to find a way for her to drink it because it kept spilling out of her mouth.”

Akuya was often ill and further hospital visits followed. According to Rosa, the nursing staff explained that the cleft is a birth defect that could be healed. Their only advice, however, was to remain strong and to take care of her daughter.

“That was not easy. I could not fetch water at the stream, I could not go to the market for groceries without people staring and saying horrible things about my baby and her cleft. We decided to isolate ourselves from people because hearing those hurtful things used to affect me a lot.”

Post a successful cleft operation the smiles say it all: Akuya with her father Kossi

Kossi was supportive and loved his young daughter; but life was difficult. “Usually, when a child is born in our community, people come to see the baby and give blessings; their comments are nice. But for Akuya, nobody wanted to hold her; nobody wanted to get close to her,” he says.

“Some people even advised us to throw her away, saying she was a bad omen, a witch.”

The ugly taunts and name-callings forced Rosa and Kossi to leave their home and livelihood. They sold all they owned at a loss and started from scratch in another area of the country.

Akuya with her parents and other family members near their home in Toga

That difficult move, however, had a silver lining when they were contacted by a local social worker, Benoit Detou.

As part of the Smile Train network, Detou is one of many social workers who have, over the years, built relationships of trust with local governments, tribal chiefs and religious leaders. They speak the locals’ language and share their culture; they also know how Smile Train works and what the charity’s associated hospitals can offer.

Detou assured Rosa and Kossi that Akuya’s cleft could be completely healed, free of charge. Sceptical at first, they resisted Detou’s attempts to help until the social worker’s pleas were supported by locals. A hospital appointment was arranged.

“It was a completely new environment for us. We felt awkward at first, but the doctors and the team supported, reassured, and guided us during every step of the build-up to the procedure. They even provided us with food and everything that we needed. It was an outstanding experience; we are grateful to them.”

Akuya is all smiles as she looks forward to a very different future following her cleft surgery

After surgery Akuya was a different child. “I don’t have words to express how happy I was at that moment; I was overwhelmed with joy to see the change,” Rosa says.

“Our neighbours had not believed that her cleft could be healed, and when we came back from the hospital, they were so happy. People came with gifts to thank us for having the courage to decide to do the surgery and to celebrate Akuya’s good health.”

Kossi’s wish for his daughter is for her to go to school “for as long as she likes” and to be successful in life. “I will do everything to support her in this journey,” he says.

Rosa is determined to share her child’s story, to ensure any other parents with children with clefts have the right information and “know that there are people who are ready to help”.

“If possible, I would even introduce them to Benoit so that he can take them to their nearest Smile Train partner and experience the joy of seeing their child healthy,” she adds.

SINGAPORE. The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted to announce that our fourth charity dinner will be held on Saturday 6 May at Hotel Fort Canning, Singapore, a luxurious and award-winning conservation hotel tucked within 18 hectares of lush greenery in Fort Canning Park.

As reported, the Smile Raising Charity Dinner will raise funds and visibility for international cleft charity Smile Train.

The event will be held on the eve of the TFWA Asia Pacific show. Gold tables of ten are available for US$4,000 and Platinum tables of ten for US$7,500. Individual places can be booked for US$400 each and other special support and partnership packages are available.

For more details see the official Smile Raising Charity Dinner website launched today. To reserve a table or place, please email Jeannie Wong at Jeannie@MoodieDavittReport.com headed ‘Smile Raising’.

In the run-up to the event we will be sharing some of the Smile Train stories (beginning below), introducing you to those whose lives have been changed thanks to the charity. We will also report on location from Smile Train clinics.

The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said, “Smile Train is an extraordinary organisation that has been close to our heart and that of the travel retail industry for the past decade and a half.

“Over the past 20 years, Smile Train has transformed the lives of more than 1.5 million children, and I am proud that the travel retail community has played such an important part. Smile Train aims to double its reach in the next five years, putting more children than ever before on track to a better future.

“As a customer-facing industry, travel retail understands the priceless value of a smile. Let’s come together to put a smile on the faces of children all around the world for whom that simple, most beautiful human gesture is so difficult. Please support Smile Train and our endeavours by booking your table or individual seat and/or by providing live or silent auction prizes and supporting us in any other way suitable.”

One of Singapore’s most renowned heritage buildings, Hotel Fort Canning bears a storied past that dates back to the early 20th century. Today, the hotel’s architecture continues to retain much of its colonial glamour, combining it with modern elements of the surrounding parklands.

The Smile Raising Charity Dinner event marks our 21^st year in business and our fourth charity dinner to be held in Asia. Previous events in Hong Kong (2007 and 2012) and Singapore (2019) have raised almost US$1 million collectively for the nominated charities.

Smile Train has been among The Moodie Davitt Report’s preferred charities since 2007 when the Hong Kong gala dinner raised over US$300,000 for the cause.

Over the past 15 years, we have helped generate more than US$2.5 million for Smile Train through our own donations (including from The Virtual Travel Retail Expo and The Trinity Forum), charity dinners; the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fun runs in Dubai and around the world; and even a world-record, highest altitude rock gig at the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro called The Chasing Rainbows Tour.

Smile Train Case Study 1

Meet Yohanes, a youngster from Ethiopia, and his mother Atsede.

Atsede cried when the nurses took photos after her first child was born, begging them to stop as she tried to understand what was wrong with her son.

Atsede had never seen anyone with a cleft before. When she tried to breast feed Yohanes, the milk came out his nose. Instead of soothing him, it only made him cry harder.

On seeing his new son, Atsede’s husband Aschalew left the room. He had a distant relative who had undergone cleft surgery after years of saving to fund the operation. Aschalew was not prepared for his child to be forced to wait.

Yohanes before and after his life-changing Smile Train cleft surgery

The hospital staff reassured Atsede and Aschalew that the nearby Yekatit 12 hospital in Addis Ababa specialised in helping children with clefts and helped make an appointment.

There Atsede learnt how to feed Yohanes with a spoon. The staff assured her that the child qualified for free cleft surgery, thanks to a partnership with Smile Train, but he would have to wait about nine months until he reached a healthy weight.

They showed her photos of other children, before and after surgery, to ease her mind. However, Atsede was quick to learn the cost of nutrition supplements and realised they were beyond their means. Some of her family members were supportive while others suggested sending the child to an orphanage.

Atsede was torn. Yohanes had difficulty sleeping and feeding. He needed to be elevated so he didn’t choke; he cried constantly. Fights over his food running out pushed her marriage to breaking point as she sold her belongings to purchase the necessary food.

Superstitious neighbours blamed Atsede for her baby’s cleft, forcing her to stay indoors and hide her son’s face any time visitors arrived. In desperate moments, she contemplated suicide.

Atsede did not give up and Yohanes was ready for surgery at his nine-month appointment. The surgery went off without a hitch; Atsede and Aschalew’s son could breathe properly for the first time. And smile.

Mother and child both with reason to smile

Yohanes is now a healthy four-year-old and a big brother. The whole family is deeply grateful to Smile Train for giving him a chance to thrive. They are looking forward to the free, Smile Train-sponsored speech therapy Yohanes will soon begin to help him speak clearly and interact with his classmates with confidence. ✈

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love” — Mother Teresa

SINGAPORE. The Moodie Davitt Report is to host a charity dinner in Singapore on Saturday 6 May to raise funds for international cleft charity Smile Train. The dinner will be held on the eve of the TFWA Asia Pacific show.

The Smile Raising Charity Dinner event marks our 21^st year in business and our fourth charity dinner to be held in Asia. Previous events in Hong Kong (2007 and 2012) and Singapore (2019) have raised almost US$1 million collectively for the nominated charities.

Smile Train has been among The Moodie Davitt Report’s preferred charities since 2007 when the Hong Kong gala dinner raised over US$300,000 for the cause.

Over the past 15 years, we have helped generate more than US$2.5 million for Smile Train through our own donations (including from The Virtual Travel Retail Expo and The Trinity Forum), charity dinners, the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fun runs in Dubai and even a world-record, highest altitude rock gig at the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro called The Chasing Rainbows Tour (see video below).

It is estimated that some 170,000 babies in the developing world are born every year with cleft lips and/or palates. US$250 funds the cost of the simple 45-minute cleft surgery that transforms the life of a child – and that of their families.

Features and lives transformed: Smile Train’s work has a profound effect on children who would otherwise live a life of shame{Click on the YouTube icon to view footage of The Moodie Davitt Report’s ‘Duty Calls’ dinner in 2019 which raised more than US$260,000 for Friends-International}

Unforgettable: Jewel Changi Airport was the magnificent backdrop for the 2019 event, courtesy of the support of the Changi Airport Group team (pictured below with guests).

The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said, “I can think of no better way to celebrate our 21^st anniversary than to dedicate an event to a wonderful cause that has been close to our heart and that of the travel retail industry for the past decade and a half.

“Over the past 20 years, Smile Train has transformed the lives of more than 1.5 million children, and I am proud that the travel retail community has played such an important part. Smile Train aims to double its reach in the next five years, putting more children than ever before on track to a better future.

“As part of the hospitality industry, the travel retail sector knows the incalculable value of a smile. Let us together bring many more smiles to the faces of childen who are today suffering from clefts and often live their lives marred by rejection and shame.

“Anyone who has visited a Smile Train cleft ward, as I have on several occasions, cannot help but be deeply moved by the beautiful simplicity of their work. That so many cleft children are left untreated in emergent countries is a stain on humanity and we are passionate about continuing our support for this outstanding organisation.

“We plan to raise not only funds but also critical visibility for Smile Train. I will be visiting Smile Train clinics in Asia to report on the organisation’s work and our editorial team will be providing regular coverage of Smile Train’s life-changing programmes.”

July 2007 and Martin Moodie meets Anji, a little boy who was about to be operated on by the Smile Train team at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India. “He had eyes as deep as the Indian sub-continent and a smile as wide as Hyderabad – especially when I suggested he would one day play cricket for India,” Moodie wrote. The transformation from the surgery (below) was extraordinary.

{Click on the YouTube icon to watch the inspirational story of Wang Li, China’s first Smile Train patient}

Wang Li pictured in 2021 at home with family – husband, son and mother. Her son is called Xiao, or ‘Smile’.

Flashback to 2007 when Wang Li made a surprise guest appearance at The Moodie Report/Hugo Boss Smile Train fundraiser in Hong Kong.“I will always try to help other children with clefts, who cry themselves to sleep every night like I did for nine years,” she told a hushed audience. “I always wanted to play with kids my age but didn’t dare. I was afraid they’d laugh at me. When they gave me a mirror after surgery I saw a different person looking back at me. A smiling person. I think that was the first time I ever smiled. Since then I have not stopped smiling.”

Details of the 2023 venue and table booking registrations will be announced soon. The Moodie Davitt Report is also seeking high-value auction prizes from the travel retail community. Please contact The Moodie Davitt Report Asia Bureau Chief and Head of Marketing & Events Jeannie Wong at Jeannie@MoodieDavittReport.com or Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com if you would like to donate or with any enquiries.

In 2007, The Moodie Davitt Report partnered with Hugo Boss in hosting a Charity Dinner on behalf of cleft charity Smile Train, which raised US$346,000.

And in 2012, The Moodie Davitt Report hosted a 10th Anniversary Ball, raising around US$375,000 funds for two causes: travel retail charity Hand in Hand for Haiti and The Moodie Report Foundation dedicated to supporting cancer research.

Flashback to 2012 as The Moodie Davitt Report celebrated a decade in business by raising money for two vital causes

Thanks to the support of DFS Group, the Hotel Icon kindly donated its facilities free of charge for the evening

Hand in Hand for Haiti: Guests saw a poignant  video of the travel retail industry-funded school in Haiti introduced by then-DFS Group Chief Operating Officer Michael Schriver (now LVMH Group President North Asia)

Memories of 2007 as TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen makes a generous €25,000 donation on behalf of the association to the Turning Tears into Smiles cause. Accepting the cheque are Nadine Heubel, then Head of Travel Retail at Hugo Boss (now Senior Managing Director with Harper Dennis Hobbs) and Martin Moodie.

About Smile Train

Smile Train is the world’s largest cleft-focused organisation, with a sustainable and local model of supporting surgery and other forms of essential care. Over the last 20+ years, it has supported safe and quality cleft care for 1.5+ million children and will continue to do so until every child in need with a cleft has access to the care they deserve.

‘Teach a man to fish’ principle

Donations sustain world-class training programme that empower locally based medical professionals in 70+ countries to treat cleft patients with life-changing, high-quality care.

This is a key difference from mission-based models: Smile Train supports local medical professionals and local hospitals – it’s how the organisation builds up healthcare infrastructure around the world while providing care 365 days a year.

Beyond surgery, Smile Train’s local partners also provide speech therapy, psychological support, nutritional services, orthodontics, and other essential forms of care to ensure that children with clefts have everything they need to not just live but thrive.