Smile Foundation’s 25 years of changing lives

Twenty-five years ago, Thando Manyathi’s mother wrote a letter to former president Nelson Mandela asking for help with her seven-year-old daughter’s lower facial paralysis.

Manyathi suffered from moebius syndrome, which left her without any facial expression.

The beginning of the Smile Foundation

Mandela reached out to philanthropist Marc Lubner, who at the time was with the Young Presidents’ Organisation.

The two intervened and after much research and investigation, decided rather than sending Manyathi overseas for surgery, it would be best to bring the world’s leading surgeons to South Africa and, in turn, help train local medical professionals, which would see this become an ongoing effort.

The face of a national legacy

Today, Manyathi smiles readily and confidently holds a receptionist job at the Smile Foundation.

After going through various medical procedures Manyathi completed a number of administrative courses and computer skills training programmes.

She also worked through a number of different departments within the Smile Foundation and Lubner’s other charity, Afrika Tikkun.

Spending time in the presence of Manyathi, Lubner and his associates recognised that she possessed a lot of love and joy and realised that Manyathi would be ideally suited to being “the face” of their company – at the helm of the front desk.

Thousands of lives changed

She is among about 1 500 beneficiaries of the Smile Foundation’s 25 years of efforts to provide life-changing reconstructive surgery to underserved communities.

This week, as part of Smile Week at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital where it all started 25 years ago, 14 children will receive surgeries that will give them new smiles, fresh confidence and a hope for the future.

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One mother’s emotional journey to hope

Among them is 17-month-old Zaylin Jantjies from Fochville, who is receiving cleft palate surgery.

Mother Amy Jantjies said being a beneficiary of the Smile Foundation is life-changing.

“These operations are so expensive and I’m really grateful for them,” said Jantjies.

When describing what it was like finding out her baby had a cleft palate at birth, Jantjies said: “It was heartbreaking. It was traumatising. It felt like my world did crash. I lost a lot of weight.”

Jantjies goes on to explain how the surgeries have not only helped Zaylin, but also her mental state as a mother.

“After Zaylin’s first operation, I started gaining weight again. I feel like my heart is clean. I do still cry about this because it’s heartbreaking but at the end of the day, it’s also tears of joy because I never thought it was possible for her to become more beautiful than she already was to me. I’m relieved that now no-one will be able to tease her when she grows up.”

A mother’s gratitude

Lubner is quick to point out that the Smile Foundation is just a facilitator of this programme and that it’s the surgeons at the hospital that deserve the recognition for their time and skills.

Additionally, Lubner thanks the Vodacom Foundation that has supported the initiative from the start.

Looking back over the 25 years, just before Mandela Day, Lubner recalls how he and Mandela’s dream came true.

“This is proof of what’s possible when people come together to make a difference, and it’s just the beginning of the next chapter.”

*Smile Foundation is a South African non-profit organisation dedicated to providing comprehensive health care for children and families affected by facial conditions and burns.

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