Each year, over 100,000 children in Asia are born with cleft lip and palate – birth defects that turn the simple act of eating into a daily struggle. Leaving parents constantly worried their child is not getting enough nutrition, that they will not flourish and that their life will have limited potential due to prejudice against their physical appearance.

Still, many people remain unaware of the true impact of cleft lip and palate beyond the aesthetic – making donations very sporadic.

Smile Asia is a global alliance of charities funding surgeries to correct cleft lip and palate. Entirely dependent on the generosity of its donors, Smile Asia needed them to feel the problem at a much deeper level – to get as close as possible to experiencing cleft for themselves.

In essence, to get the donations to pay for the surgeries, we had to make it personal.

In order to capture new donors and inspire the existing to dig deeper into their pockets, we needed to design a charity event that was unlike any other they had previously attended. One that would drive home to the participants the real-life effects this facial deformity has on these children – beyond the obvious aesthetics.

Our solution:

The Cleft Collection – a unique set of cutlery specially designed with a cleft of its own.

Each utensil has its own cleft-shaped missing piece, so that not only does it visually mimic the condition, it also makes eating frustratingly difficult.

Smile Asia needed to engage existing and new donors – high-earning individuals and corporations from all over Asia.

They have the most contact and impact with these donors at their fund-raising events. It’s only at these events that Smile Asia has their time and attention long enough to tell a story, build an experience and get them invested enough into the cause that it becomes personal.

From previous experience, Smile Asia knew that donors who were personally exposed to the plight of the beneficiaries were more likely to become advocates. While we couldn’t take everyone on a surgical mission, if we could bring the experience of cleft to the donors, we were confident we could achieve the same effect.

We needed an idea that not only let donors experience the difficulties of cleft, but was universally recognised, unavoidable, and fit right in at a fund-raising dinner.

We unveiled the Cleft Collection at an exclusive dinner fund-raiser at the Ritz-Carlton, where Michelin-starred chef Massimo Pasquarelli crafted a meal to showcase the features of the cutlery.

During the luxury dinner, attendees found that their soup poured out of their spoons before it got to their mouths, they couldn’t pick up anything with their forks, and their knives were too dull and lacked a long enough straight edge to cut their food. Frustrating and personal to say the least…

Then we set our sights on the Smile Asia Annual Gala Dinner Fund-Raiser. 280 attendees including celebrities and public figures were given the same extraordinary dining experience – confronting them with the difficulties of eating with cleft.

In both instances, throughout the meals, guests went from nonplussed, to frustrated, to a growing realisation and ultimately, enlightenment – making it personal – and driving them to donate.

The response of the diners to the Cleft Collection and to the plight of the children was overwhelmingly positive and for many, deeply moving. We had connected the reality of cleft – beyond any superficial aesthetics – to their own lives in a way they could not prepare for, deny or forget. Many even showed interest in purchasing the cutlery.

Across the 2 dinner fund-raisers, enough was raised to help fund 796 surgeries.

Literally creating 796 new smiles.

Based on the impact and success of the 2 Singapore events, a third is confirmed for Hong Kong, with Japan, India and the US all scheduled before year-end.

Smile Asia are now using the Cleft Collection to champion their cause by gifting it to political figures and influential business leaders. They have stated their intention of running the Cleft Collection fund-raising dinners in every country where they have a strong presence.