Twenty children will be getting life-changing surgeries this week at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in honour of the late President, National Burn Safety Awareness Week and the Smile Foundation.
Johannesburg, South Africa (08 May 2023) – Every Smile Week is a heartwarming experience, but this upcoming week is going to be that much more special as it’s the very first collaboration with Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital – the physical manifestation of Madiba’s vision to give children the healthcare they so desperately need. It also marks Smile Foundation’s very first Public-Private Partnership so there will be many good things to celebrate.
Coordinated by Smile Foundation, this Smile Week, runs from 7 to 14 May 2023, during which 20 children from previously disadvantaged families, will be undergoing life-changing reconstructive surgery. Most surgeries will involve cleft lip and palate repair with the exception of a burns survivor who will undergo tissue expander surgery and another child who is undergoing full ear reconstructive surgery. The week is generously sponsored by Sensodyne.
National Burn Safety Awareness Week
What also makes this Smile Week more relevant, is that it is taking place during National Burn Safety Awareness Week. South Africa’s population is vastly affected by burns every year, due to socio-economic factors like lack of electricity, inadequate housing and substance abuse.
Sadly, 60% of all annual burn cases are children. May is also Burn Awareness Month, during which Smile Foundation raises awareness around the seriousness and prevention of burns, in remembrance of those who have been affected by this national public health problem.
In observance of this time, one of the children undergoing surgery is a burn survivor, little Nonhlanhla, a 5-year-old girl from Vosloorus. Nonhlanhla’s mother, Smangele, shares her story with us:
“The 8th of September 2018 was the day our lives changed forever. Nonhlanhla was only 9 months old at the time. I thought she was safe at home with my parents and niece, but then I got a call from our neighbours to say that our house was on fire. I lost both my parents and my niece in that fire, but I am grateful that my daughter survived.
It was the hardest and saddest time of my life, my little girl was fighting for her life in ICU and I never had my own mother to turn to. Because of the terrible burns, Nonhlanhla lost her ear, some of her fingers and part of her nose right before her first birthday. Since then she has gone for a few surgeries and learned how to walk at almost three and a half years, but she still struggles with her left foot that was damaged in the fire.
I am so grateful to the doctors who will be helping my child and to Smile Foundation for making this happen for us. I would never be able to afford this kind of surgery for my child and I know it will make a great difference to her life.”
A team from U Matter, a parent and peer support group for burn survivors in South Africa that is run by Smile Foundation and Avela Foundation, will be on site during Smile Week to give Smangele and her daughter Nonhlanhla the emotional and psychological support they need.
Also undergoing surgery is Bontle. Bontle’s mother, Fikile, has been working for Smile Foundation for two years and brings great joy to the team. She is ever grateful to the organisation for enabling her daughter’s much-needed surgery. Bontle has a lip tie that delayed her speech development, interferes with her speech and makes her feel embarrassed to smile. In such conditions, the skin of the upper lip is attached to the gums and prevents lip movement. Her mom’s concern is that without such surgery, her daughter will be bullied at a later stage at school when her lip-tie will be more prominent.
The Opportunity to Learn
This Smile Week will also enable an invaluable transfer of specialised skills as three professors will be attending to share their wealth of knowledge and expertise with the surgical team and registrars visiting from across South Africa. Professor Saleigh Adams from Cape Town, Professor Chauke-Malinga Nkhesani from Pretoria and Professor Tim Christofides from Gauteng will be attending.
“At Smile Foundation, overwhelming gratitude is an emotion we never tire of, especially when it comes to our Smile Weeks, the many lives they touch and how they are able to transform a child’s perspective of themselves and the world for the better.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our sponsor, Sensodyne, whose generous contribution has made it possible for the children to undergo their surgeries and receive the medical care and support they need. We’d also like to express deep gratitude for the visiting professors who will be sharing their invaluable skills, the surgeons and hospital support staff who have so kindly dedicated their time and talent to this cause. Your selflessness and unwavering dedication inspire us all and we are honoured to be working alongside you.
A very special thank you to Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital for partnering with us, this has been a dream of ours for years and to see it come to fruition is immeasurable, thank you for making this possible.” – Kim Robertson Smith – Chief Executive Officer of Smile Foundation
Chief Patron of Smile Foundation, the late honourable Nelson Mandela had a wish to help as many children around South Africa as possible, to alleviate the stigma attached to living with a facial condition. To help keep our beloved Madiba’s legacy alive, you can pledge your support here: https://smilefoundationsa.org
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