Smile Slate Press Release | Tygerberg Hospital: Smile Foundation and Airports Company South Africa Transform Lives at Tygerberg Hospital Smile Slate

Smile Slate Press Release | Tygerberg Hospital

Smile Foundation and Airports Company South Africa Transform Lives at Tygerberg Hospital Smile Slate

The Smile Slate is more than a day in the operating theatre, it represents a holistic, life-changing intervention for children from underserved communities living with facial anomalies and their families, who walk this challenging journey alongside them. On Thursday, 21 November 2024, Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town hosted the Smile Slate, where three children underwent corrective surgeries to transform their lives. This impactful initiative is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Airports Company South Africa Limited (ACSA), renowned for its commitment to socially responsible projects across the country. Organised by Smile Foundation, Smile Slates are meticulously co-ordinated to deliver maximum impact in a short time. These initiatives provide life-changing surgeries for children, addressing conditions like cleft lip and palate, severe burn scarring, and craniofacial abnormalities. Emotional support is offered through pre- and post-operative counselling for both children and their families, ensuring no one faces this journey alone. Practical assistance to families, including meals, transport, and accommodation, eases the financial and logistical burdens of accessing care. From securing ICU beds and co-ordinating medical consumables to ensuring seamless hospital arrangements, Smile Foundation ensures every detail is managed, creating a comforting and reassuring environment for families during a critical time. Three children's lives will be forever transformed through cleft lip and palate surgeries during this theatre slate. One child underwent a cleft palate repair, a procedure that offers children the chance to lead healthier, happier lives. By improving their ability to eat, speak, and breathe, this surgery enhances not only their physical well-being but also their confidence and emotional development. These children will enjoy an improved quality of life and gain the self-assurance they need to grow up healthy, strong, and full of potential. Shaheed Regal, Assistant General Manager at ACSA shares: Airports Company South Africa is honoured to contribute to the well-being of South African children in need. Our partnership with the Smile Foundation reflects our commitment to creating meaningful change—not just in the communities that we serve but in the lives of children who deserve a brighter future. Seeing the transformative impact of these surgeries is a powerful reminder of the difference we can make for individuals and communities at large. Airports by nature are always transforming to meet their passenger growth, but the best transformation is one that makes a child smile – we are very proud to be part of this initiative.” “Smile Foundation sincerely thanks the generous leaders at ACSA for making our vision a reality. Your unwavering support continues to transform so many young lives and gifts them with a tomorrow filled with greater opportunities, confidence and joy. We are also incredibly grateful for the selflessness and devotion of the surgeons, healthcare teams, therapists and hospital staff who through these transformative surgeries and supportive care, bring every child’s dream to life. Everything you do, provides a lifeline for these children, guiding them toward wholeness and the courage to face life with renewed hope,” concludes Tarri Parfitt, CEO of the Smile Foundation.

ENDS