Rugby players tackle the need to raise funds

THE Tries for Smiles project since its inception in 2017 has brought many smiles to children in the country.

Through the Vodacom Tries for Smiles campaign, the Vodacom Foundation donates R3 000 to the Smile Foundation for every try scored by a South African team in this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby competition. The funds raised through Tries for Smiles helps the Smile Foundation to perform corrective surgery on children born with facial disorders.

Statistics will tell you that one in 750 South African children is born with a facial condition but that statistic won’t tell you that they are also born into a world of hurt and prejudice. It is a world that looks away because they cannot smile. Or eat properly. Or even breathe. In fact, by the age of six, some children will already have had three operations to repair a bilateral cleft lip and palate that makes something as simple as drinking a glass of milk almost impossible.

On April 18, the Vodacom Bulls players paid a visit to the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg and experienced how life-changing a game of rugby can be when they meet with children who have benefitted from corrective surgery or who are about to undergo surgery thanks to the funds raised.

The players visited the different children’s wards and also mingled with some of the young patients who were already on the recovery side. They were also happy to sign many rugby balls or shirts for the little enthusiastic rugby fans.

Many other children will also benefit throughout the 2018 Vodacom Super Rugby season from this project and will help players to put a smile on children’s faces.

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