Pumas and Pediatric Care Africa spread goodwill
MBOMBELA - Pediatric Care Africa used the Mandela Day weekend to hand out food parcels to needy families. Each child also received a beautiful lucky packet.
Accompanied by Carl du Preez, Francois Kleinhans and Cassandra Jacobs of the Pumas rugby team, the group started the weekend with a visit to the Magalela informal settlement near Hazyview, where they distributed grocery hampers donated by Pick n Pay White River to 68 families.
“With the help of the Pumas rugby players, we made light work of handing out the heavy grocery hampers, maize meal, cool drinks and packets of frozen chicken and soon we were on our way to our next stop in Haasbroek outside White River.
“The kids were very excited to learn that rugby players would be handing out their goodies,” said Dr André Hattingh, founder of Pediatric Care Africa.
Also accompanying the group were Gerrit Pieterse, manager of Pick n Pay White River, and two trainee managers, Martin Malope and Clifton Mnisi, as well as Erika Dickinson and Lee Melman of Pediatric Care Africa.
The group also visited Katoen and upper Msholozi.
“Every boy in Katoen knows who the Pumas are and soon they were passing a rugby ball around. We only had a flat rugby ball, but nobody complained,” Hattingh said.
At Katoen, the Mandela weekend activities included the “Child and his Pet” programme in conjunction with Lowveld
Vet, which organised rabies injections and deworming of all the children’s pets.