It is estimated that one in every 1,000 newborns in the Philippines has a congenital deformity known as cleft lip and palate. The facial and/or oral malformation is incurred when both sides of the lip or palate (the mouth’s roof) do not fuse together during a baby’s development in a mom’s womb.
The physical deformity brings low self-esteem, humiliation, and stigma to a rising number of patients in the country. Thus, in 1982, Operation Smile Philippines (OSP) was born. The non-profit medical service organization has been launching various medical missions and initiatives to help bring smile to cleft lip and palate patients by sponsoring surgical procedures to correct the problem.
Image from OSP’s FB page. Tech and Lifestyle Journal edited the photo to protect the identity of the minor.
#4theSmile campaign
The 35-year-old organization has been soliciting donations and asking assistance from volunteers so it can carry out its mission. In August, OSP signed up another partner that has openly expressed its support for the cause.
On its 10th anniversary, ASUS Philippines has teamed up with OSP to launch a unique campaign called #4theSmile (read: hashtag for the smile). Through this civic campaign, the tech giant is committing to donate P1 to OSP’s medical mission for every selfie or wefie (or ‘group selfie’) taken using any of the recently launched ZenFone 4 Series smartphones and posted on Instagram or Twitter with the campaign name as the hashtag.
The goal is to generate 1.3 million selfies posted on the social media before the end of the year. The campaign aims to put smiles to 4,500 kids born with cleft lip and palate in the Philippines.
From ME to WE
“There is a relationship that exists even between strangers,” said ASUS Philippines Country Manager George Su. “ASUS Philippines is here to prove just that by turning selfies and wefies into shared moments that go beyond the people within the frame and actually touch other people’s lives for the better.”
Su emphasized that this new initiative echoes ZenFone’s newest campaign principle: From ME to WE. He added, “Through this new partnership, we want our selfie-loving audience to take their selfies and wefies to another level by sharing their smiles to brighten the lives of thousands of children with cleft lips and palates, and help bring these children’s smiles to the world.”