South Africa

Expanding Access to Care

To ensure that every child has access to care close to home, we equip the providers within our patients’ communities with skills and resources to deliver high quality care. We build the needed capacity by harnessing the talent and resources that exist within the country to train providers in under-resourced areas where most patients lack access to care.​

In South Africa, our hubs are based in Eastern Cape (Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital), Mpumalanga (Rob Ferreira Hospital), Gauteng (Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital) and Kwa-Zulu Natal (Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital). ​

Five-Year Vision

Operation Smile will reduce barriers to seeking and reaching care in South Africa, delivering high-quality care to children born with cleft conditions. ​

In the next five years, we project to provide 1,210 patients with surgery and 2,280 patients with comprehensive care. ​

We will provide follow-up comprehensive care consultations to patients who already received surgery in the past five years. ​

Operation Smile will continue to invest in the health workforce, enhancing the quality and quantity of medical providers in South Africa. Our goal is to expand our volunteer network to 170 dedicated individuals in the next five years.​

Our Partners

Operation Smile’s partnerships with National and Provincial Departments of Health have allowed us to effectively plan and carry out surgical programs across the country. ​

Operation Smile partners with Smile Foundation, a South African NGO providing corrective surgeries for children. Through our collaboration with Igwiba Lesizwe, we distribute basic supplies such as toothpaste and toothbrushes, necessary for maintaining oral health.​

Operation Smile collaborates with top-ranking medical universities in South Africa, including University of Cape Town Global Surgery and University of Pretoria.​