WITS Paediatric Fund
 The Wits Paediatric Fund represents one of
our brand new start-up ventures. The fund
generates resources for 3 major public hospitals
in the Witwatersrand area: Charlotte
Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital
(the largest in Africa), Rahima Moosa
Mother & Child Hospital (previously known
as Coronation Women & Child Hospital)
and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. Originally, the fund set itself a
fundraising target of R13, 0 million.
The application of the targeted
funds mainly related to the following two objectives: |
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Firstly, the establishment of a sustainable resource mobilization
infrastructure that could assist with bridging the gap between
paediatric "resources required" and "resources available" |
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Secondly, acquiring a prioritized list of lifesaving medical
equipment, which all 3 these hospitals are in dire need of. |
Towards their second birthday, the WITS Paediatric Fund managed to
generate value amounting to R15.7 million.
Universitas Hospital – Beds of Hope Campaign
 The Beds of Hope Campaign was named after
its actual intention – to raise R15, 0 million for 15
new paediatric intensive care beds at Universitas
Hospital. This tertiary academic hospital is the
only one of its kind in the Free State and serves an
extensive paediatric population, mostly located in
the central part of our country. The 15 new intensive
care beds – each equipped with the required
monitors and highly specialized medical equipment
– were desperately needed by the hospital and
these "beds of hope" would make a significant contribution to alleviating
the overburdened care infrastructure for the children.
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The campaign generated a staggering R24.9 million in value over the
3-year period, exceeding all expectations and goals set at the beginning
of the process. In addition to the 15 new intensive care beds, they were
able to also acquire costly medical equipment, while some additional
paediatric wards were also upgraded and renovated with the resources
mobilized by the campaign.
The Boikanyo Foundation
 The Boikanyo Foundation was initiated by a
handful of medical specialists, paediatric cardiothoracic
surgeons, businessmen and volunteers
from the Round Table. Their main aim was to
raise funds in order to perform lifesaving heart
surgery on children in the Charlotte Maxeke
Johannesburg Academic Hospital. Due to a lack
of adequate facilities and particularly a shortage
of intensive care unit nursing sisters who care post-operatively for these small
patients, a backlogged waiting list of 300 children had built-up over the previous
12 months. These children all desperately require heart surgery, ranging from
relatively simple to more complicated procedures. In order to address the
situation, the surgeons volunteer their theatre services |
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at no-charge. However,
the consumables used in theatre and the services of intensive care nursing
staff who care for the small patients after surgery, still need to be paid for.
The Boikanyo Foundation has managed to generate value amounting to R13.4
million during the past 3 years. Since January 2007, 56 heart operations have
been successfully performed in consequence of the funds raised by their
Foundation's resource mobilization unit. These operations would simply not
have materialized without their fundraising achievements.
Groote Schuur Hospital Neonatal Newborn Trust
 The Groote Schuur Hospital Neonatal Newborn
Trust represents another new venture, which
came into existence as a result of the Healing
Kids funding. The Trust was launched during
2007 and aims to raise R10, 5 million during
the course of the following 3 years.
During the first 2 years, they have raised funds in excess of R3,2 million
which is mainly being utilized for:
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nursing training in Kangaroo Mother Care |
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acquisition of photo-therapy lights for newborns in intensive
care |
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purchasing of incubators for their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit |
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refurbishment of the Kangaroo Mother Care Unit. |
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The Trust aims to raise sufficient resources in the future for the
establishment of a totally new Neonatal Section at the Groote Schuur
Hospital in Cape Town.
