JOINT STATEMENT FROM NMCF AND NMCH ON MANDELA MONTH CELEBRATIONS

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (the Fund) and its flagship project, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital (NMCH) will be wrapping up Mandela Month Celebrations and resume the dropping-off of physical donations by the public at the institutions on Saturday, 31 July 2021. 
 
In July, the legacy organisations traditionally mark the birth, life and social contribution of their founder, Mr Nelson Mandela. The month has also become synonymous with altruism, with the public often supporting these institutions with various requests including on-site donations to support their work.
 
Historically, former president, Mr Nelson Mandela, also celebrated his birthday in the presence of children sharing in the celebrations together with staff of the Fund, members of the public, corporates and the philanthropic community. Since his passing in 2013, the Fund has upheld this tradition, honouring Madiba by hosting the Annual Children’s Celebration at its Head Offices in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, and other venues across the country. 
 
However, the Level 4 restrictions together with the recent unrest in the in the country, placed limitations on both the Fund and NMCH’s ability to host events in a similar manner, resulting in an joint announcement on 16 July 2021 to postpone all physical donations. 
 
To end off Mandela Month in a fitting manner, the Fund and NMCH are excited to announce that these activities will now resume under Level 3 Covid-19 protocols. As such, the Fund and Hospital will be hosting donation “drive-throughs” where the public can drop off donations to benefit beneficiaries.
 
CEO of the Fund, Konehali Gugushe says that the Fund is reaching out to the public to request that they donate essential items that will benefit children across the country. “This year our plan is to put together care packages that will be distributed to our various strategic partners nationally. This includes partners working with the Fund in the health, child survival & development, as well as the child safety and protection space. We are therefore providing another opportunity for our supporters to come forward to make this year memorable for our beneficiaries.” 
 
The organisation has also placed various donation boxes at Menlyn Park where visitors at the mall can drop off their donations.
 
Furthermore, the Fund is also calling on the public to join its virtual #MandelaDanceChallenge by dancing to media personality, Proverb’s “Legacy” song and posting this online. “This a way for us to still promote child participation and to encourage families, to have fun together in a light-hearted way and in the spirt of celebration,” says Gugushe. 
 
Interim CEO at NMCH, Dr Nonkululeko Boikhutso, also encouraged the public to support the only dedicated children’s hospital in Gauteng.  “Our patients and families have a wide variety of needs. We are relieved that we can end off the month in this way to encourage the public to support our institution in the spirit of Madiba and giving.” 
 
From April 2021, NMCH had to accommodate approximately 100 patients together with their families and staff from Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) following a fire at that facility. While some patients have been moved back to CMJAH, others remain at NMCH. “The intervention was absolutey necessary but as you can imagine, this has added strain on our resources,” says Boikhutso.
 
To drop off donations on Saturday, 31 July 2021, the members of the public are encouraged to contact communications@nmcf.co.za to book a slot and ensure that we have appropriate crowd control provisions. 
 
The public can also make online donations to both organisations through their website portals and support the virtual initatives outlined on these. 
 
For more information on visit on the Fund visit www.nelsonmandelachildrensfund.co.za or visit www.nmch.org.za to learn more about NMCH.