Doctor drives 2 500km on tractor for charity

LIMPOPO – Pediatric Care Africa is launching its very first “On Track–Tor” tractor and trailer ride covering 2 500km through five provinces on 2 May with Dr André Hattingh in the driver’s seat of a John Deere tractor.

The journey is scheduled to start in White River in Mpumalanga and proceed to Burgersfort, arriving in Mokopane on 3 May, from where he will visit Thabazimbi.

“Due to the dramatic increase in demand for our services as a result of the many people that have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 lockdown and the deteriorating economy in general, we receive many more calls for medical assistance and baby food. Our donation income has shrunk markedly since the beginning of the pandemic, whilst the demand for our services sky rocketed,” Hattingh explains and adds that Pediatric Care Africa’s traditional methods of fundraising such as golf days and gala dinners with auctions are no longer allowed under lockdown regulations, forcing them to rethink and restructure fundraising methodologies as Pediatric Care Africa does not receive any financial assistance from Government

“We have a 7 036km charity motorbike ride around South Africa to collect funds for children’s medical treatment but that generates only a fraction of the money required by us,” Hattingh says and further explains that the promise to help children that are sick, hungry and desolute was made by himself almost 30 years ago, during a period he spent as volunteer doctor in Rwanda during the Genocide, and he is absolutely resolute to keep that promise, even if it means riding on a tractor for 2 500km to be able to do so.

“We facilitate more than 320 children per year to see a private medical doctor or specialist at an average cost of R1 400 per visit. Doctors’ visits alone costs R448 000 per year. We supply baby food to babies whose parents have lost their jobs due to Covid-19, parents who are poor or to babies who live in care centres,” he explains. “It also serves to create awareness of the 1 014 children being killed in South Africa every year, 1 184 children who are subjected to attempted murder every year, the 24 387 sexual offences that were committed against children last year, the 7 815 children that were assaulted with intent to do grievous bodily harm and 10 829 cases of common assault that were reported against children last year according to SAPS 2019/20 statistics,” Hattingh added.

According to Hattingh, members of the public, farmers’ unions and organisations along the tractor route can contribute to the project by sponsoring Hattingh per kilometre he travels, making an once-off or a monthly donation or to donate livestock, baby food or diesel for the tractor.

Further details are available at www.pediatriccareafrica.org or on 076 229 5663.