Nelson Mandela

JOHANNESBURG – AS the R1 billion Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital takes a step closer to completion, inspirational individuals and groups that surely could be having the departed former head of state smiling in his resting place have emerged.

These are some of the stirring stories of selfishness that embodied the loveable statesman.

While the spotlight has fallen mostly on companies that have heeded the call to donate, in the background, some impoverished members of the public have played a role to ensure Mandela’s dream comes to fruition.

From a pensioner in Johannesburg who is donating part of her monthly grant to the cause, to school children in Soweto that are donating a part of their pocket money, the country has shown commitment to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital.

Among the heroes to emerge from the exercise is Sam Harding, a St Johns College pupil, who has mobilised fellow students to raise funds and donate towards the completion of the hospital.

A donation through savings from his piggy bank kick-started the drive.

Under the auspices of the Kids for Kids campaign, the drive has been extended to the largely-impoverished Soweto, west of Johannesburg where the response has been encouraging. More than 30 schools have embraced the campaign to donate.

Most are raising awareness around paediatric health among scholars in their curricular.

Siyandiswa Dokoda, Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust Public Relations and Communications Assistant discloses, they are on course of meeting the target of R120 000 raised through initiatives by schoolchildren.

To date, R790 million has been donated towards the state-of-the-art, specialist facility, which is set to open in December 2016.

The contribution by scholars has gone beyond financial.

Students from the Vega School of Brand Leadership in Johannesburg designed the logo for the hospital.

It consists of a portrait of a baby surrounded by friends, family and health professional among others.

“It is inspiring to see the involvement of scholars playing a part in a cause that will change the lives of their younger colleagues,” says Dokoda.

Meanwhile, an elderly woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has proven an inspiration.

She is donating R20 off her monthly pension.

She has heeded the call to sms ‘GIFT’ to 40301 to donate towards the construction of the health facility.

“These are some of the heroes that, with the little they have, have helped donate. We celebrate them and the corporates the corporate that have given millions,” says Mary Jane Morigi, Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust Global Capital Campaign Lead.

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund initiated the Trust in 2009.

It was mandated to build a Children’s Hospital to meet the tertiary Paediatric healthcare needs in Southern Africa.

The University of Witwatersrand donated the land the facility is under construction in Parktown, adjacent to its Medical School.

– CAJ News