10 years of fundraising for Smile Train UK

London, February 2022: E-ZU Solutions Ltd, a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider in Congleton, Cheshire celebrates ten years of fundraising for Smile Train UK, the international children's cleft charity.

Their fundraising efforts were instigated by E-ZU Solutions Director Steve Anthony, who was born with a cleft and was inspired to help children who have been unable to receive the same treatment he did.

Since 2011, E-ZU Solutions has raised over £20,000 for Smile Train UK, helping to give thousands of children around the world access to safe, high-quality, comprehensive cleft care, and the opportunity to live a full and healthy life.

Clefts are the most common facial difference globally, affecting around 1 in 700 babies. In the UK, cleft surgery is carried out within the first 12 months of a baby's life by the National Health Service (NHS). However, hundreds of thousands of children in resource-poor communities worldwide do not have access to the lifesaving cleft treatment they desperately need.

Smile Train uses a unique and sustainable model of empowering local medical professionals and hospitals with the tools they need to complete free surgeries and other essential cleft treatments. Over the last 22 years, Smile Train has supported safe and quality cleft care for 1.5+ million children, and they will not stop until every person in need with a cleft has access to the care they deserve.

The past decade has seen E-ZU Solutions organise a myriad of fundraising activities for Smile Train UK, including charity walks to Mount Kilimanjaro, the Two Moors Way, and the National Three Peaks, as well as swapping corporate gifts to Christmas donations on behalf of customers.

Offering a donation to Smile Train UK as an incentive for completing E-ZU Solutions' market research surveys has also proved popular, with almost half (41%) of respondents opting for the charity donation over a £10 personal Amazon voucher.

Steve Anthony, Director of E-ZU Solutions, commented: "Although I was fortunate to receive cleft treatment for free and quickly after birth, I know that many children around the world are not in the same position – and have problems with breathing, eating, hearing, and speaking as a result.

"When I started E-ZU Solutions, I knew that I wanted our CSR strategy to include charitable giving. It was then that I came across Smile Train UK, and the rest is history! We make a lot of our business decisions based on compassion and bringing value to our customers – it's clear that Smile Train brings an enormous amount of value to families around the world, so it became an obvious link.

"The past ten years of fundraising have been fantastic. Not only has it inspired my team and our customers, but my family, too! My brother-in-law will now only accept donations to Smile Train instead of Christmas presents, and this has spread throughout my family."

Sam Lockwood, Head of Marketing at E-ZU Solutions added: "Supporting Smile Train UK is something we've all really got behind here at E-ZU, and it's great to know that the work we do on a day-to-day basis enables us as a company to help such an amazing cause.

"Training walks for the charity hikes have also become a big part of our team bonding – we've been up Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon multiple times and it's something many of us do on a weekly basis, which has been great for our physical and mental health. It's nice to think of colleagues as a 'network of support' and to see them in another light outside of work."

Ian Vallance, Director of Smile Train UK, said: "At Smile Train, our vision is to create a world where everyone has access to safe, high-quality, comprehensive cleft care and can live a full and healthy life. The fundraising efforts of E-ZU Solutions' staff and clients over the past decade is truly inspirational, as the money raised has gone a long way in transforming the lives of children with clefts around the globe. I can't wait to see what the next ten years bring!"

For further information, please contact Emily Oliver, Manager, Brand Marketing and Communications, UK on: eoliver@smiletrain.org.

Smile Train's Vision

Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children's lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive.

To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.org.uk.