AIG insurance staff got together to donate toys to the children's ward at Tara Hospital in Sandton
On 7 February 2014, the Nelson Mandela Foundation handed over a donation of toys to the children’s ward at Tara Hospital in Sandton on behalf of insurance company AIG.
The donation is part of a growing relationship between Tara Hospital and the Foundation that also includes the social dialogue around mental health stigma held on 21 November 2013 at the hospital.
"It has been a heart-warming process for us as the Nelson Mandela Foundation,” Manager of Mandela Day and Outreach at the Foundation Yase Godlo said at the hand-over ceremony.
“Before the dialogues, we did not know the amount of work that goes into this hospital. We saw the challenge that you face and felt that we should do something to assist, certainly as part of Mandela Day,” he said.
The AIG Angel Wings Club, as part of its charity drive, donated the collection of toys, books and stationery; each donation came out of the staff members’ own pockets. The donation was channelled through the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The NMF's Yase Godlo with Dr Florence Otieno and senior staff at Tara Hospital
Clinical psychologist Jonathan Percales said the staff at the children’s ward work, sometimes under difficult circumstances, to ensure the children in its care received the best help possible. The ward has 10 beds and caters for children between the ages of five and 12. While this may seem like only a few children to deal with, the amount of work that goes into looking after them is phenomenal and takes a lot of dedication.
CEO of Tara Hospital Dr Florence Otieno thanked AIG and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, saying she is particularly pleased that the two organisations have partnered with the hospital in assisting it to provide the sort of help the children in the ward need.
She said this shows a commitment to the legacy of Madiba, and it is during moments such as these that his words are apt: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”