Collaboration to have 1 million nappies donated
PARKTOWN – Charlotte Maxeke Hospital was one of the first beneficiaries of the Pampers 1 million nappies donation drive as they received their share of the donation.
Pampers in alignment with World Prematurity Day on 17 November, partnered with Pick n Pay to donate one million preemie nappies to the Newborns Trust Foundation, neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and government hospitals across the country.
In South Africa, over 150 000 babies are born prematurely every year. At Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, as of 21 November, Sister Noma-Afrika Selekane (along with her A-grade staff) have been taking extra care of 35 preemie babies in the NICU.
One preemie baby gets their nappy changed every three hours. That’s 210 nappies used in a day, 1 050 in a week. The two aforementioned partners, in a collaboration with TV personality Thembisa Mdoda, are on a mission to donate 1 million nappies to hospitals in South Africa, and Charlotte Maxeke was one of the first hospitals to receive this donation.
One in every seven babies in South Africa are born prematurely; with a low birth weight, these babies are often prone to a complicated start to their little lives. Premature babies and their parents often need to stay in the hospital much longer than a baby born full-term, and many of these hospitals and NICUs are, unfortunately, under-equipped to provide additional care.
Jeanne du Plessis, corporate affairs and citizen leader at Procter and Gamble Southern Africa said, “Despite their best efforts, we know it’s not always easy for hospitals and parents to provide the care premature babies need. Resources are limited and awareness around prematurity is low. This is our chance to assists hospitals in providing these newborns with a nappy that fits them comfortably, allowing them to rest and develop as all babies are meant to.”
World Prematurity Day forms part of the global effort to raise awareness of the scale and impact of premature births, highlighting proven and cost-effective measures that can help prevent them. “Premature babies need extra-special care and it can be stressful to know that a child you just brought into the world, and already love so much, needs your help. There can be so many complications to worry about. We can all agree that nappies shouldn’t be one of them,” du Plessis said.
When purchasing your regular Pampers nappies at any Pick n Pay, Pampers will be donating five preemie nappies for every pack purchased for the entire month of November.
To learn more about this initiative and partnership, follow Pampers South Africa on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter to learn more about community initiatives @RK_Gazette.
Related Articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/rosebank-killarney-gazette/171814/diapers-for-the-disabled-2/
https://www.citizen.co.za/rosebank-killarney-gazette/25454/gifts-of-nappies-to-babies/
