“Are you definitely sure you can help us?”
This was the first question Kgomotso’s mother asked us. She was afraid to get her hopes up because they’d been dashed so many times before. After six long years of trying to get help for her child, she had completely lost faith in the health system.
Her little boy was born in Vereeniging with a bilateral cleft. Again and again she took him to her local hospital. Each time he was put on a waiting list. And each time the surgery date arrived, it was cancelled.
Meanwhile Kgomotso was growing up. He started school where, despite his teachers doing their best to protect him, he suffered merciless bullying. His mom and grandparents knew he needed to be in school to learn essential skills like reading, writing and counting. But every day was a nightmare for this little boy.
In desperation his grandparents took him to Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital where they met Sister Minnie, who told them about the Operation Smile surgical programme. His mother reached out to our patient coordinator, Dakalo, but she’d had her hopes raised and dashed so many times before that she was afraid to trust us.
July surgical programme
But in July 2024, Kgomotso was one of 40 children who received surgery for his cleft lip at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Johannesburg. The following year he returned for surgery to repair his cleft palate.
It’s incredible to think that an operation lasting around 45 minutes has the power to change a child’s life. For the first time, little Kgomotso actually looked forward to going back to school last year. Thanks to the surgery he received from Operation Smile, he can now face his classmates with a big, confident smile on his face.
Our work would not be possible without the generous services of our medical volunteers and our circle of supporters who contribute towards the cost of equipment, care and transport. If you’d like to join in and help give another child like Kgomotso a new smile, please click here.
