Quick Facts

• Operation Smile South Africa (OSSA) was officially registered as a section 21 (non-profit) company in March 2006.
• OSSA launched its first medical mission to Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal in September 2006, where 59 patients received free reconstructive surgery. In March 2007, OSSA conducted a six-month post-operative care program for these patients.
• OSSA supports and enables the training of medical and non-medical volunteers and healthcare professionals in Basic Life Support Training and Pediatric Advanced Life Support Training.
• For R5 500 per child, OSSA provides surgery and multi-disciplinary care to a patient, as well as education and training to medical staff.
• OSSA sends physicians to the annual Operation Smile Physicians' Training Program (PTP) - held at Operation Smile’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. PTP brings doctors from around the world together for training in their respective specialties.
• OSSA Medical Director, Prof Anil Madaree, inaugurated OSSA’s first World Care Program (WCP) in Africa in September 2007. The WCB, through Prof Madaree and his team, provides free surgery to children and adults in South Africa and throughout the continent who are suffering from serious, life-threatening deformities and need craniofacial surgical care.
• OSSA’s inaugural mission to a neighboring country took place from 7-16 November 2007, in Tamatave, Madagascar. More than 20 South Africans and volunteers from six other countries, provided free surgery to 135 patients.
• Since it’s the inaugural mission to a neighboring country in November 2007, OSSA has conducted another mission in Madagascar in May 2008 (211 patients received surgery), and to Swaziland in March 2008 (31 patients received surgery).
• OSSA student associations build awareness, raise funds and educate students about the values of commitment, leadership and volunteerism. OSSA takes student educators and a student sponsor on its medical missions. Students learn how they can impact the future when they help children in need.
• David Grier and Braam Malherbe made history in 2006 by becoming the first people to run the entire length of the Great Wall of China to raise funds for OSSA. They embarked on another challenge – to run a smile around the foot of Africa. By running an estimated 3 500km, their mission is to raise funds to enable OSSA to change more lives.