A twelve-year-old boy who had never smiled before can now share his joy with the world. A mother who once faced her child’s cleft lip surgery with fear is now the one guiding and encouraging other parents at the start of their journey. This is the life-changing power of Smile Week.
South Africa (11 June 2026) – There is just something about a child’s innocent smile that easily warms the heart. Thanks to the Smile Foundation‘s Smile Week Programme, 173 children have received that life-changing gift over the last six months alone!
That is over 170 little lives changed for the better thanks to donors, medical teams, volunteers, and supporters who contributed expertise, efforts, time and resources to make these incredible journeys possible.
The programme funds and facilitates surgeries for children living with conditions such as cleft lips, cleft palates, facial paralysis, craniofacial abnormalities, ear and hand conditions, and severe burn scarring – significantly preventing long-term health and developmental issues as well as restoring the dignity and confidence of young patients.
Eugene’s Smiles for the 1st Time
This life-changing work is beautifully seen in 12-year-old Eugene’s story. Born with Moebius Syndrome (facial paralysis), he has spent his whole life unable to laugh, frown, or simply let his mother see that he’s okay.
Smile Week changed that.
Dr Dimitri Liakos and his team at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre performed an 11-hour life-changing facial reanimation surgery on Eugene. For the first time, he has the opportunity to express his emotions, share his joy, and let the world see the young boy behind the condition.
Because a smile is more than an expression, it’s a connection, confidence, and the chance to simply be yourself.
The Ripple Effect of Hope Through Mikhulu
Mikhulu may be small, but her impact reaches far beyond the hospital ward.
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Help Pharos Give Children a Brighter Start to the New School YearDuring Smile Week at Frere Provincial Hospital, she returned for the next step in her journey, cleft palate surgery.
“But what was a standout moment for us was her mother,” Smile Foundation shared.
“She is now the person other anxious parents turn to in hospital waiting rooms. She shares photos, answers questions, and offers reassurance from her own experience.
Not because anyone asked her to. Because she remembers the fear and knows how much it helps to hear, ‘Everything will be okay’.”
That right there is the true impact of Smile Week. It’s not just about surgery. It’s about families helping families, and hope being passed from one parent to the next.
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