Increase Paediatric Palliative Care in KZN, SA

The devastating floods in April have left our beloved province of KwaZulu-Natal reeling. So many lives were lost and homes destroyed. It was frightening to see the destruction that water can cause.Fortunately, none of our patients lost their lives but many have been left with nothing. Their homes completely destroyed and everything in them washed away. This in the wake of the July 2021 riots which left many people unemployed or displaced.

For many this additional hardship has been too much. The stress of caring for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness is high enough without now having to try and rebuild their homes and their lives. Many rely on State grants to survive. These require an ID document, the child’s birth certificate and a bank card. Unfortunately, many lost these as the water ravaged their homes and they were running for safety. The process to reapply for these is tedious and takes a long time. These families have nothing until this process is completed.

Thankfully there are good Samaritans out there who have jumped to the assistance of these families and the thousands of others who have lost everything. Our Samaritans have ensured that those families that we work with who were affected have food and clothes. Some are staying with people in the community whose homes did not get destroyed so the additional food has been very welcome. Others are staying in community halls where they are receiving daily meals. Travelling to these areas to distribute the food was shocking. To see the level of destruction as well as seeing nothing where we knew a home used to be was incredibly sad. It was also incredibly challenging as many roads were washed away and landslides cut many areas off. Thankfully we were able to reach everyone we needed to and we hope that while they continue to start again we can continue to support them with food.

Clean up is still going on and it is going to be months before there is some sort of normality. It is unimaginable how these families start rebuilding not just their homes but their lives after such loss. It is during a time like this that we can only stand in awe of the resilience and strength that these amazing people have shown and continue to show.