A group of 12 people are raising R 2-million to revamp the Kimberly Hospital Burn Ward and one of them has the most inspiring story of all…
Twelve incredible people plan to raise R2-Million for the Avela Foundation. The group are raising funds by committing to climb to the Mount Everest base camp. The hope is that the money raised will be used to revamp the Kimberly Hospital’s, Burn Ward. Due to the vast distances in South Africa, it is of utmost importance to have a state-of-the-art paediatric burns unit in the Northern Cape. The funds will not only refurbish the burn unit, they will provide specialised care as well.
“The funds we raise in this challenge will go to launch the Umatter support network, a psychological support network for burn survivors and their families. The physical pain of a burn is horrific, but the worry, fear, and emotional pain it causes to survivors and their families can be just as difficult. Emotional support is crucial for recovery. By providing the right psychological support to burns survivors and their families, burn survivors will become an asset not a liability to our society.”
One of the twelve Avela champions is William Baartman. William is a burn survivor and has faced immense challenges because of it. His story stuck out to us the most because he has personally been affected by burns.
“At the age of three years old, he was a victim of gross Human Rights violation when his home was petrol bombed by local students because his father was an Afrikaans teacher. He sustained 75% burn wounds and lost his younger sister, Grace in the fire. William’s story is not of self-pity and hate; it is of triumph, courage and positivity and that touched my soul and didn’t let go.” – Lindiwe Suttle
Lindiwe was inspired by Williams story when she met him in 2015. She has since become a massive advocate for his life and been by his side through all his new life experiences. Since meeting William, he has had the chance to travel overseas for the first time to attend a burn conference as well as starting his very first job as the head volunteer of the Burn Unit at the Red Cross Children’s hospital in Cape Town.
William has come out of his shell since meeting Lindiwe and has been named the Head of the Mentorship Programme for the Avela Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to helping children with burn injuries on their road to physical and psychological recovery. His next journey is to join the Everest climb to raise funds for the Kimberly Burn ward. You can find his personal funding campaign here.
You can check out the pages for the other 11 champions here. Their trips are all paid for so 100% of the donations are going directly to the Aveda Foundation. Williams fundraising is to get his flights and equipment that will help him join the trip of a lifetime and help him advocate for burn victims in South Africa.
In collaboration with the Smile Foundation, the 12 individuals begin their journey on 29 April 2018 to Kathmandu, Nepal. The hike, expected to take 9 days will begin on the 2 May 2018.
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