With help from Switzerland’s U17 Cricket Team travelling from Basel to South Africa in February 2024, Ambulance Relief was able to reach 31 children at the Vuka Orphanage in Langa with immediate supplies for their health and wellbeing.
WHAT WE SENT
31 gym bags containing microfibre towels, fun face clothes and dental care sets – one for each child – together with a large bag of medical supplies (with some communal activities and treats tucked in too).
WHY THESE ITEMS?
There is no running water where the children have been living, so they have had no towels. But they are due to move any day into a completely different living arrangement – a house with water and a proper bathroom (and new bed mattresses too). Ambulance Relief provided 31 large microfibre towels – compact, lightweight and quick-drying for the Mama running the orphanage. We hope the 2-minute timer on appealing toothbrushes helps the kids to keep brushing. The hot water bottles will hopefully give comfort to older girls with periods, and the animal versions a warm hug for younger sore tummies. The Calpol liquid pain relief was the brand specifically requested by the orphanage because the children know it. Calpol is not available in Switzerland – but as Bea Lavery happened to be passing through London, she picked up our supply! Another board member quickly sourced the colourful bags; they reached Basel overnight in hand luggage!
Attractive supplies will hopefully offer some immediate help to the kids and those caring for them – and hopefully some joy too. As well as being mindful of keeping everything light for transport, we understand the orphanage has no capacity to safely store extra supplies. So Ambulance Relief purposefully focussed on immediate needs and a volume the orphanage can manage.
HOW WE REACHED THE KIDS
On 11 January 2024, Helen Ramscar saw online the Swiss U17 Cricket Team’s appeal for an orphanage they hoped to visit during their upcoming sports tour to Cape Town. Helen thought about the children and what specifically medical support they might need. She contacted Jonty Acton who had posted the campaign. A telephone call was followed quickly by a Zoom with Luke and Jannie Carter in South Africa. Soon an exchange of emails produced a firm idea of what medical and hygiene items the children were missing. A list was formed and the Ambulance Relief team – Helen Ramscar, Bea Lavery, Nick Ramscar, Megan Ostuni and Mark van den Hoogenhoff – met to discuss. The five thought carefully about what items are needed, cost effective from Switzerland and lightweight for transport. A fundraising appeal was shared within the parent community of the ISB as well as the toddler playgroup of the Anglican Church in Basel. Within days, donations arrived and the backpacks were prepared.
On Sunday 28th January, the cricket team had its last training session in Basel before South Africa. Ambulance Relief’s Helen and Bea had the huge pleasure to meet the players and coaches at St Jakob. These brilliant young sportsmen went on to visit the orphanage and deliver all the donations.
MANY INVOLVED
With grateful thanks to Jonty Acton for replying to the first message out the blue and for all the communications since! When imaginative, solution-focussed people come together, the result can be joyous. Ambulance Relief is thankful to all who helped to make this outcome possible: Baljit Singh (Coach); Miran Rechter (Manager); Michael Hall (Head of the board of Cricket Switzerland); Nitin Pradhan (Development Officer for Juniors); and special recognition to Luke Carter, Juané, Odwa Futshane and Jorg Caluori at the orphanage for their tireless efforts to improve the wellbeing and life chances of these children. You can follow their work directly here: https://www.instagram.com/vuka_nomtobhoyi/?img_index=1
The U17 Cricket Team can be found here: https://cricketswitzerland.ch/tag/u17/
❤️We wish the Vuka orphanage children the smoothest of moves into their new home soon❤️
Ambulance Relief 