25 Surgeries in 2 days: Operation Smile brings life-changing care to Mbombela

Operation Smile South Africa is returning to Mbombela this month, to provide free, life-changing surgeries to children with cleft lip and palate conditions. This is the 15th local surgical programme made possible through Woolworths’ support - an ongoing commitment that began under MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet and now continues through the MyDifference programme*. The upcoming surgery programme will take place from Friday 25 until Sunday 27 July at the Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mbombela. It will be done in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Health and with the support of a team of 40 medical volunteers from throughout South Africa.

“We are enormously proud to be partnering with MyDifference and the Mpumalanga Department of Health to bring hope and healing to more children and families living with unrepaired cleft conditions,” says Sarah Scarth,

Executive Director at Operation Smile South Africa. “Over two days of surgery our volunteer medical team will aim to complete 25 surgeries. Without this intervention children with clefts in this province may have to wait years for the chance to receive life-changing surgery.”

Since partnering with Woolworths and becoming a beneficiary of the retailer’s previous loyalty programmme - MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet in 2011, Operation Smile has provided reconstructive surgery and comprehensive care for approximately 500 people with cleft lip and cleft palate across South Africa.

“The Woolworths MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet programme has long empowered customers to support Non- Profit Organisations (NPOs) like Operation Smile, along with schools and environmental causes, simply by swiping their card at till points — with Woolworths making the donation on their behalf. We’re proud that this much-loved initiative now continues under the GIVE component of our new MyDifference programme, combining the power of giving with even greater personal rewards, value, and convenience”, confirms Mbuso Mlambo, Head of Loyalty and Direct Marketing at Woolworths.

Since its establishment in South Africa in 2006, Operation Smile has built a network of over 150 active volunteers, comprising cleft surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists, pediatricians, dentists, speech therapists, psychologists, biomedical staff and more. They have traveled across South Africa and throughout Sub-Saharan Africa to perform thousands of life-changing surgeries.

A key focus of the organisation is skills transfer, achieved through education and training for healthcare workers, both as part of and beyond the surgical programmes. “Our long-term goal is to build sustainability, so that this specialised cleft care can happen in the public health system - whether we are there or not,” says Scarth. With that in mind, Operation Smile South Africa leans on some of the country’s most experienced medical professionals to upskill more junior medical staff.

Dental support will be an additional feature of the upcoming Mbombela surgical programme, with the Rob Ferreira Hospital Oral Health team, supported by Operation Smile, giving up their weekend to raise awareness about clefts and offer basic dental treatments like fillings, scale and polishes, extractions, dental restorations, fissure sealants and pulpotomies (root canals on baby teeth), so that local children don’t need to miss school due to dental problems.

“Dental care is a vital part of the overall treatment plan for people with cleft conditions,” adds Scarth. “Most people born with a cleft - and certainly all those born with a cleft palate - need dental treatment, because the whole jaw is affected. The more support we can provide, the more we can improve quality of life.”

Last year, 33-year-old Mbombela resident, Promise Thembelihle Mathebula experienced the transformative power of compassionate care through Operation Smile - for the second time. When she was a child Promise received surgery for her cleft lip and palate through Operation Smile. In 2024, it was her son’s turn - baby Mpelo, then five months old, underwent a successful lip surgery and will return again this year for his palate repair.

“Thanks to the continued support of Woolworths MyDifference, Operation Smile is able to return to communities like Mbombela and provide life-changing care to families like Promise and Mpelo’s - creating lasting impact where it’s needed most,” reflected Scarth.