Joy. Wonder. Gratitude. Tears.
Be part of our Mandela Month surgical programme.
Instead of 67 minutes of your time, give R10 per minute – a donation of R670 – towards life-changing surgery for a child born with a cleft.
Every 3 minutes …
… a child is born somewhere in the world with a cleft condition. In first world countries, corrective surgery is usually done within the first 18 months of life. But in Southern Africa, where safe surgery is not always freely available or accessible, a child may have to wait years for the chance to live a normal life.
What happens if cleft conditions are left untreated?
![nutrition Difficulty in eating and drinking](https://southafrica2.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/nutrition.png)
![speech speech difficulties](https://southafrica2.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/speech.png)
![tooth Dental problems](https://southafrica2.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/tooth.png)
![self-esteem Social isolation](https://southafrica2.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/self-esteem.png)
Change despair to hope
Depending on the severity, cleft conditions can be repaired in just 45 minutes. Your donation makes new smiles possible.
You don’t have to act as if you care
You just have to care enough to act
In 1982, Dr William (Bill) Magee, a plastic surgeon, and his wife Kathy, a nurse and clinical social worker, travelled to the Philippines with a group of medical volunteers to repair children’s cleft lips and cleft palates.
What they found was overwhelming. Over 300 families arrived, hoping their children would receive surgery. But the team could only treat 40 children.
“People pushed their babies at us,” recalls Kathy. “They tugged at our sleeves with tears in their eyes and begged us to help their children.”
As they were leaving, the Magees promised they would return to help more children – and Operation Smile was born.
Today, Operation Smile is an international medical charity with a network of medical volunteers from more than 80 countries, dedicated to helping children born with cleft palate and other facial abnormalities.
![surgery Cleft surgery](https://operationsmile.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/surgery.png)
Share our vision
We dream of a world where no child suffers from lack of access to safe surgery. As long as there are children in the world who need our help, we’ll do whatever it takes to give them the quality care they deserve.
How your support helps
News & Stories
Weekend dental programme attracts schoolkids
A total of 81 children benefitted from the recent weekend dental programme at Rob Ferreira Hospital in Nelspruit.
Moments of joy and gratitude at Rob Ferreira Hospital, Mbombela
From the early preparations to the final moments of joy and gratitude, every second was a testament to the power of unity and compassion at Operation Smile SA.
Importance of dentistry in patients with cleft lip and palate
One of the main goals of Operation Smile worldwide is to provide opportunities for local doctors, dentists, and therapists to acquire the specialised knowledge they need to assist children and adults born with cleft conditions in their communities. Twenty...
Our global family
With more than 6,000 active medical volunteers from all around the world, Operation Smile is one of the world’s largest volunteer-based nonprofit organisations. Our supporters are people from all walks of life, who believe that anyone born with a cleft condition deserves safe, effective, and timely surgery and care.
![map Global footprint](https://southafrica2.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/map.jpg)