SickKids-South Africa partnership helps build capacity for Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in South Africa
SickKids Foundation is pleased to announce a generous gift from the Kadey Family Charitable Trust in support of The Hospital for Sick Children’s (SickKids) partnership with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital (NMCH) in South Africa.This gift establishes the SickKids-Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Training Initiative in partnership with the Kadey Family Charitable Trust and covers the entire cost of training and education programs for medical fellowships, nurses, allied health professionals and Child Life specialists.
In May 1995, former South African President Nelson Mandela launched the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, laying out a vision of hope for the children of Southern Africa. He began his speech with the words, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
SickKids and the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital
In December 2016, a key component of his vision was realized as the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust celebrated the completion of the building and equipment installation of the NMCH. This was, in part, thanks to a strategic partnership with SickKids to help improve access to paediatric care for children in Southern Africa. Through the partnership, funded by Global Affairs Canada, SickKids is providing capacity-building support to NMCH. This support includes technical assistance on the recruitment and training of key operational and clinical staff, establishment of governance and management structures and the sharing of clinical and research expertise.
“This hospital was a promise we made, and thanks to strategic planning and efforts of our team, working side-by-side with our partners from SickKids, we have been able to come together as a global community and realize Madiba’s dream, for all of the children of Southern Africa,” says Sibongile Mkhabela, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust. “We had the vision, and the support of our community and thanks to SickKids and the Government of Canada, we have now been able to fill some gaps in our expertize so that the hospital, which will be officially opening for patients later this year will provide world class, cutting edge health care to the children that need it most.”
In addition to providing the highest level of complex care to patients within the Greater Toronto Area and across Canada, SickKids works in collaboration with organizations in more than 75 other countries to build health-care capacity around the world through the SickKids Global Child Health Program. SickKids is already making a significant impact in the Caribbean, improving capacity to diagnose and treat children with cancer; in Ghana, helping to train nurses and midwives; and in China, training medical leaders in oncology and cardiology. As well, through the Herbie Fund which is funded entirely through community support, more than 765 children from 105 countries have travelled to SickKids over the last 35 years to receive life-saving and life-altering surgical care not available in their home country.
“SickKids is driven by a mission to improve the health of children by providing the best in family-centred care, achieving groundbreaking scientific and clinical advancements and training the next generation of experts in child health,” says Cathy Séguin, Vice-President, International Affairs for SickKids. “Nelson Mandela’s vision for the children of Southern Africa aligns so closely with our vision of healthier children and a better world and so we are pleased to be able to partner with such an accomplished organization and work toward this monumental goal.”
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
In addition to providing the highest level of complex care to patients within the Greater Toronto Area and across Canada, SickKids works in collaboration with organizations in more than 75 other countries to build health-care capacity around the world through the SickKids Global Child Health Program. SickKids is already making a significant impact in the Caribbean, improving capacity to diagnose and treat children with cancer; in Ghana, helping to train nurses and midwives; and in China, training medical leaders in oncology and cardiology. As well, through the Herbie Fund which is funded entirely through community support, more than 765 children from 105 countries have travelled to SickKids over the last 35 years to receive life-saving and life-altering surgical care not available in their home country.
“SickKids is driven by a mission to improve the health of children by providing the best in family-centred care, achieving groundbreaking scientific and clinical advancements and training the next generation of experts in child health,” says Cathy Séguin, Vice-President, International Affairs for SickKids. “Nelson Mandela’s vision for the children of Southern Africa aligns so closely with our vision of healthier children and a better world and so we are pleased to be able to partner with such an accomplished organization and work toward this monumental goal.”
