Avis and operation Smile spreads joy

The innocence of a child’s smile can make someone’s day, however in South Africa, 1 in 700 children can’t smile because they have cleft lips and cleft palates. These are birth defects that occur when a baby's lip or mouth do not form properly during pregnancy. 

Avis Rent a Car has always believed that people are more important than cars and is excited to be associated with Operation Smile organisation. Avis provides ongoing transport to reach different communities, where the NPO runs their projects, underpinned by Operation Smile’s belief that no child must suffer from lack of access to a safe surgery.

As such, they have developed and trained medical staff to treat children born with this condition to afford them the opportunity to spread joy!
To continue their work the non-profit medical service organisation requires donations so every child gets the best medical treatment.

Lauren Bright Operations Smile Country Manager, “Operation Smile South Africa is extremely proud and grateful for the continued support and partnership from Avis. One of the principal barriers to care that our patients face and so Avis’ support allows us to alleviate some of those barriers. Thanks to Avis our staff are able to travel to the most rural of locations to spread the word about the life changing surgery that Operations Smile can provide. For this and so much more we can only say a heartfelt, thank you Avis!”

CEO of Avis Rent a Car, Rainer Gottschick, says, “Children are our future and any investment in them will empower our nation. We hope to encourage people to donate to this cause as it changes life journeys and destinations. Every contribution helps to continue this gesture of goodwill and we hope to encourage further donations that will help provide a surgery that will transform the life of a child, restore a child's smile and change his or her life forever!

For more information on how to donate, volunteer or for more information on the organisation, visit http://southafrica.operationsmile.org/
Facts
•    2 BILLION people lack access to any surgical care
•    BILLIONS MORE lack access to safe and well-timed surgery
•    ONLY 4% of an estimated 234 million surgical procedures performed each year go to the poorest third of the global population
•    A child’s cleft lip or cleft palate can be repaired for as little as R5500 and in as few as 45 minutes
Source: http://www.operationsmile.org.uk/index.php/get-involved/donate-now/