Hundreds of children at three of the biggest government hospitals on the South Coast received new toys as part of East Coast Radio Toy Story with Game.
Hospital visits began in Pietermaritzburg and toys were handed out at Crookes, Murchison and Port Shepstone hospitals. Around 200 toys were given to the all children in the paediatric wards at each of the three hospitals. The people of KwaZulu-Natal have generously been donating toys and cash to Toy Story since October.
The hospital visits are the first real opportunity to see the sheer joy that the toys bring to the children bed-ridden in hospitals. The new toys were delivered to paediatric wards around 60 hospitals across the province. The SA Red Cross Air Mercy Services help East Coast Radio reach outlying hospitals by delivering toys as part of their flying doctor service — which takes specialised treatment to rural parts of KwaZulu-Natal. But teams from East Coast Radio and Game go to certain hospitals to hand deliver the gifts. East Coast Radio’s CSI Project Manager Anusha Timul says, “Its an opportunity to see first hand what a difference Toy Story is making. Some children spend days on end in hospital and the toy becomes a source of comfort and compassion.
This campaign does more than bring a smile to childrens faces, many of whom have never experienced the joy of a brand new toy. The cash donations that are made towards food parcels help ensure that many underprivileged children dont have to worry about where their next meal is coming from during the long December school holidays. Nutritiously designed for children whore affected by the scourge of HIV/AIDS, the parcels which are R35 each can feed a family of five for approxiinateiy two to six weeks. Breakfast Stack Di Darren Maule gives a toy at Mahatma Gandhi in Phoenix.
Article: Rising Sun (North Coast)
Date: 14 Dec 2011
