On 30 June 2026, the old MySchool programme and card will be discontinued. If you haven’t yet switched to the new MyDifference app and selected Operation Smile South Africa as your beneficiary, your everyday Woolworths shopping will no longer help provide life-changing surgery for children born with cleft conditions.
On 29 May, 50 Operation Smile volunteer health professionals from across the country converged at Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Johannesburg for a weekend of life-changing cleft surgery.
From the first day of health screenings – where 54 young patients were thoroughly examined and 40 cleared for surgery – to the joyful moments in the recovery ward, our hearts overflowed with pride and gratitude for the privilege of being part of this life-changing work.
26 Miles for 26 Smiles is a fundraising campaign initiated by Lisa Pellet, who together with 14 others, ran the Cape Town Marathon to raise funds for Operation Smile.
Operation Smile South Africa will return to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital on 29 May 2026 for a weekend of free cleft lip and palate surgeries aimed at reducing the backlog of patients waiting for treatment.
On 23 and 24 April 2026, Operation Smile, joined key partners – including the Department of Health and Igwiba Lesizwe Foundation – to take the Bring a Smile Campaign to the rural community of Whittlesea in the Eastern Cape, within the Enoch Mgijima Municipality.