Founded in 2006, Operation Smile South Africa (OSSA) joined Operation Smile, Inc. as its 25th partner country. Based in Cape Town, OSSA medical volunteers provide free surgeries to children and adults throughout Southern and Central Africa, as well as educational and training opportunities that promote sustainability and self-sufficiency throughout the region.
OSSA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Department of Health in South Africa and Swaziland.
In 2006, OSSA conducted its inaugural medical mission in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, where 98 children and young adults received free medical evaluations and patients received free reconstructive surgery.
By early 2013, OSSA conducted our 30th free surgical mission. Six further missions in South Africa (including Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, Nelspruit in Mpumalanga and Klerksdorp in the Northern Province), one in Swaziland, eight in Madagascar, one in Swaziland, five in the Democratic Republic of Congo, six in Rwanda, two in Namibia and most recently one in Malawi. This brings the total number of OSSA patient smiles to more than 4 000
OSSA is part of a global non-profit medical services organization that has, over the past 38 years, provided care to over 300 000 children and adults worldwide, and currently has a presence in over 60 countries.