After months and sometimes years of waiting for specialised care, children born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other reconstructive needs have received surgery to improve feeding, speech and development.
This was made possible through the Smile Foundation in partnership with Smart Business Systems (SBS) on their return to the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) in Kimberley for a Mini Smile Week. The initiative brought life-changing reconstructive surgery to children across the Northern Cape.
Taking place on 24 and 25 November and on 1 and 2 December, the week marked a long-awaited turning point for many families who travelled from rural towns. It offered them relief and renewed hope amid financial and emotional strain.
Young patients from Kimberley, Pampierstad, Upington, Douglas and Steinkopf were treated by specialist surgeons Dr Maria Giaquinto Cilliers and Dr Gert Steyn, alongside their skilled multidisciplinary team. Giaquinto Cilliers has served at the RMSH since 2005.
Smile Foundation continues to raise essential funding
The hospital’s chief executive, Mkhululi Ntintelo, highlighted the impact of the partnership between the RMSH and Smile Foundation, which has provided surgery to more than 200 children with congenital abnormalities and burn-related deformities since 2017.
The RMSH remains the Northern Cape’s only tertiary centre for plastic and reconstructive surgery. Its burns unit serves as the provincial referral hub for children needing specialised, multidisciplinary burn care.
Through the partnership with Smile Foundation, two phases of the burns unit refurbishment have already been completed, creating a modern, state-of-the-art facility that serves thousands of children. A third phase is planned for completion by April, supported by Smile Foundation, the Northern Cape Department of Health and multiple generous donors.
Smile Foundation continues to raise essential funding that drives this work forward and enables world-class care to reach the children who need it most.
ALSO READ: Week all about smiles for Northern Cape children
“Every child we meet shows us what courage looks like,” said Tshidi Chabane Xaba, chief operating officer at Smile Foundation.
“These families have waited and hoped through so much uncertainty. Thanks to SBS and the dedicated team at the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital, these children now step into their futures with dignity and confidence.
“Our mission is not just to restore smiles, but to restore possibility,” stated Chabane.
