From Madiba’s vision to 25 years of smiles
A Milestone Mandela Week at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital proudly supported by Vodacom Foundation This Mandela Week, Smile Foundation is going back to where it all began. From 14 to 18 July the team is hosting a very special Smile Week at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH), the first hospital Smile Foundation partnered with 25 years ago. Over these five days, 14 children will undergo lifechanging surgeries, gaining not just new smiles, but fresh confidence and hope for the future. This special Smile Week is proudly supported by Vodacom Foundation, Smile Foundation’s very first donor. It’s a milestone that ties in beautifully with the legacy of Nelson Mandela, Smile Foundation’s Chief Patron, who helped spark the organisation’s journey by initiating young Thando Manyathi’s facial reanimation surgery 25 years ago. It was right here at CMJAH that young Thando Manyathi underwent her life-changing facial reanimation surgery, watched over by Nelson Mandela and Marc Lubner, the latter of whom would go on to cofound Smile Foundation. That moment didn’t just change Thando’s life it ignited a movement that has since transformed over 5,000 more children’s lives. In a beautiful full circle story, Thando now works for Mr Lubner, ...
