South African Charity for children in need

We help children in need of surgery for treatable facial ailments and abnormalities such as a cleft lip and palate, nose and ear deformities and facial growths as well as craniofacial conditions.  We also assist with facial paralysis (known as Moebius syndrome) in addition to the plastic reconstruction for burn victims.

Even though we’re a charity for children, we understand that parents want nothing more than to help their children in need and cannot do so due to financial restrictions. We aim to positively increase the quality of life for South Africa’s disadvantaged families by encouraging, informing and educating the parents throughout the process.

We are currently based in seven of the best academic hospitals in South Africa. We continually support our teams of qualified compassionate medical staff by investing in further skills development programs, as well as the purchasing of much needed medical equipment for the departments specialising in plastic and reconstructive surgery within these hospitals.

As the chief patron, Nelson Mandela has passionately advocated for the Smile Foundation on numerous occasions and he wishes that we reach as many children in need as we possibly can. Madiba is proudly associated with our charity for children as he believes that the future of our nation is in the hands of our children.

Donating to the Smile Foundation charity in South Africa will prove to be truly rewarding and even more so for the children and families that you will positively impact with your generous donations. Every little life you affect is a smile won and worn on the face of a beautiful child with a future filled with many more.

At the Smile Foundation we believe in future of our children – charity is just one of the many avenues we use to make the joy visible through the smiles of our nation’s children.