Tropical fruit company Turbana provided funding for over 50 surgeries in Colombia last month, through its social foundation Fundauniban. 

Turbana donated US$5,000 to the initiative called  'New Smiles for Uraba' headed by Fundauniban and the Rotary Club of Uraba. The project focuses on providing free operations to economically disadvantaged people in the country suffering from cleft lip and split palate.

Turbana marketing director Marion Tabard told www.freshfruitportal.com the values of giving back to the community were deeply rooted within the organization, as its original parent company, Uniban, was formed out of a cooperation of Colombian farmers in the 1960s and began various social initiatives to help its workers.

She also said it was a mutually beneficial relationship as the Colombians receieved aid they otherwise would not have had access to, while the company had more dedicated workers.

"It's not out of charity per se, if you take care of your community then they're going to do a good job," Tabard said.

"We need to establish a dialogue and get them involved. We teach them, and we try to do it in a way that is sustainable for generations to come."

The money went towards supplying the U.S. and Colombia doctors with medical equipment and anesthesia. Fundauniban also provided rehabilitation and psychological support to the patients in the weeks after the surgeries.

Medical professionals from the U.S. joined teams in the South American country to aid the operations and help them to be carried out efficiently.

Turbana is also currently involved in another social initiative with Fundauniban and the New Jersey Agricultural Society called 'Learning Through Gardening'. In this program, students from U.S. and Colombian grow their own fruit and vegetables, and then share their progress with the other school. This allows them to learn about healthy eating while improving their foreign language skills.

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