"The founding philosophy of Pick n Pay and that of our family, is that doing good is good business and it is never more true than now, for what you put into our children's future, you get out. I urge all individuals and businesses in South Africa to support initiatives which help shape the future of so many children in Africa. It is not a choice but rather our responsibility to give our children a future," he said.
The donation to the Children's Hospital Trust sets the stage for an expansion strategy to raise funds for projects outside of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's hospital in 2011. Research conducted by the trust into the gaps in paediatric healthcare confirmed that needs exist outside of the hospital which require funding ranging from paediatric safety education to child rehabilitation.
One half of the donation will be allocated to the first trust expanded-reach fundraising project; the equipping of four Metro Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ambulances with additional specialist paediatric equipment. This will improve EMS pre-hospital and inter-hospital services rendered to neonate and infant patients in the Western Cape province. The remaining R500 000 will go towards building a paediatric infectious diseases clinic and a clinical research unit at the hospital.
Ackerman also thanked South Africans, as well as Pick n Pay staff and suppliers in particular for their support of the company's national Incubator Campaign, which ended on 28 February 2011. The donations collected at stores nationally will help South Africa's under-funded neo-natal units in Gauteng, the Northern Region, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the Southern Cape and the Western Cape. Nearly R2 million was raised during the campaign and the funds will supply around 27 incubators to hospitals in need.
"Each year approximately four million infants die worldwide in the first four weeks of life. Incubators are an integral part to help these babies and it is our duty as South African citizens to help where we can. I would like to thank each and every person who has helped alleviate the plight of neo-natal units across the country by donating to this campaign," Ackerman said.
Pick n Pay's transformation director, Suzanne Ackerman-Berman donated an entire incubator to the Somerset Hospital in the Western Cape while political activist Eddie Daniels, an ex-Robben Island political prisoner had also donated R70 000 to the cause - enough to buy a new incubator.
This campaign, which is in its second year, was co-ordinated by the Newborns Trust in association with Pick n Pay, I&J, Nedbank and Kite Advertising as well as regional radio stations and newspapers across the country.
