Since 2023, Kungawo and her family have had to travel by long-distance taxis from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape to make their hospital appointments at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. But yesterday, that long, tiresome and expensive trip looked different – in the best way!
Cape Town, South Africa (31 July 2026) – The Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town sees thousands of babies, children and teens enter its doors seeking vital and often lifesaving treatment for some of the most urgent and complex conditions.
Fourteen-year-old Kungawo is one of those young warriors. Since 2023, she has been travelling to the hospital, but getting to the medical care she needs has never been easy. You see, Kungawo is all the way from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape.
For her, seeing her doctors has always meant embarking on a long-distance journey, which comes with a huge financial burden for her family. The travel is made even harder by her medical condition, as Kungawo needs to keep her leg straight while travelling by public transport, sometimes meaning the family has to pay for two seats just to get her safely and comfortably to hospital.
For Kungawo and her family, attending a hospital appointment is never straightforward. It involves planning, uncomfortable long-distance taxis as well as balancing the cost of double seats, food, and temporary accommodation on a limited budget.
Faced with the ongoing cost of these journeys, her family recently reached out to Wings and Wishes for help.
The organisation is dedicated to transporting critically and chronically ill children to receive the lifesaving specialist medical care that they require. With the support of its partners, they provide transport for children deemed financially less fortunate to receive life-saving and/or specialised medical treatment which they require – anywhere in South Africa.
For the first time yesterday, Kungawo’s journey looked very different. Thanks to Wings and Wishes, the young teen and her family were able to fly from East London to Cape Town for her hospital visit – turning a long, uncomfortable trip into a much easier journey!
Wings and Wishes thanked its partners and supporters for helping them put hope in motion, meeting the family, and helping ensure Kungawo arrived safely at the hospital.
“Partnerships like these mean that families can focus on what matters most: their child’s treatment and recovery, rather than how they will afford to get there. Together, we are making the journey to medical care possible.”
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Sources: Wings and Wishes
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