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Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios is doing everything she can to give back to local communities. The Nicaraguan beauty queen will pass the crown to the next winner in September, but for now, she is lending a helpful hand.
Most recently, Palacios, who suffers from anxiety, traveled to Mexico City, Mexico, where she joined Smile Train, an international nonprofit organization that provides free corrective surgery for children born with cleft lips and palates. The organization shared a gallery of photos from her visit, where she can be seen meeting children born with cleft lips and palates, and local doctors.
Palacios, who moved into the new Miss Universe New York apartment, was all smiles for the visit, wearing her famous “Miss Universe” sash. She made one of the little girls feel just like a princess with her own crown and sash. “Thanks to @smiletrain for showing @sheynnispalacios_of all of the impactful work being done here in Mexico City! Changing lives one smile at a time,” they captioned the post.
Founded in 1999, Smile Train is the world’s largest cleft charity. They partner with local medical professionals in over 90 countries and focuses on training, supporting cleft-related research, and raising awareness about cleft conditions and the importance of timely treatment.
It’s not a requirement for Miss Universe winners to engage in humanitarian missions or support charitable causes, but many winners use their platform to advocacy.
During their interviews in the competition, the question of how they give back to their communities or plan to use their platform is common. Many competitors are already involved with philanthropic activities and causes close to their hearts.
Outside the US, as Miss Universe, Palacios has traveled to El Salvador, Mexico, Indonesia, Qatar, and Brazil.