Twenty nine children are set to receive free facial reconstructive surgery as part of the Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital's Smile Week.
Smile Week, which will be running from 14-18 August, is part of the Smile Foundation's initiative to provide surgery around South Africa to children who suffer from treatable facial anomalies such as cleft lip, cleft palates and burns.
The Smile Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organisation that works with seven different academic hospitals in the country.
Smile Foundation Operations Manager, Moira Gerszt said they believe that investing in the well being of children is an investment in the future.
Gerszt said their aim is to enable children so that they become positive and confident within the communities.
She said doctors are flying into Port Elizabeth from all over the country to assist with surgeries.
"Other surgeons are flying in from other academic hospitals and it's just during this five day period. We do support all the academic hospitals right through out the year but, this kind of smile week is a project where many more children can be assisted in a short period of time," Gerszt said.
Nosiviwo Zokoza, whose son had to have nostril duplicate correctional surgery, said she is very happy for what the Smile Foundation did for her child.
Zokoza said her biggest fear with her son having three nostrils was that when he grew up he'd be made fun of and have low self-esteem.
