The inaugural Smile Asia Philanthropic Visionary Award was presented to Her Majesty The Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck on the evening of August 15th in Singapore in recognition of Her Majesty’s contributions to transforming the lives of thousands of Bhutanese through the Tarayana Foundation and Smile Asia.
Through the Tarayana Foundation, Smile Asia has successfully organized six medical missions to Bhutan. These missions have provided comprehensive evaluations for 504 children, and 231 have benefited from life-changing surgeries.
The award was presented by H.E. Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, on behalf of Smile Asia. The event was attended by Senior Government Officials, Resident Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Donors and Partners of Smile Asia, and its board members.
H.E. the Ambassador of Bhutan to Thailand and Singapore, accompanied Her Majesty the Queen Mother, along with an Executive Committee Members and the Executive Director of the Foundation.
About the Award
The award is instituted to honour inspirational leaders who have made substantial philanthropic contributions, significantly improving the lives of communities through various charitable initiatives. The recipients of this award would have had notable collaborations with Smile Asia, allowing them to witness their excellent work firsthand.
About Smile Asia
The Smile Asia is a global alliance of independent charities that works together to treat children with facial deformities like cleft lips and cleft palates. This alliance was formed in 2008 with the signing of a cooperative framework by 6 independent charity organizations, namely the Smile Cambodia, the Future Smile Charitable Foundation and Beam International Foundation of China, the Cleft to Smile Mission of India, the Bright Faces Inc. of U.S.A., and the Smile Mission of Singapore.