Here’s to the Heroes at St Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care

Photo Credit: St Josephs

Going for nine decades strong, St Joseph’s has shown up for children and parents who’ve desperately needed help in bridging the gap after the hospital.

Cape Town, South Africa (26 September 2025) – In February this year, we published an article celebrating nine decades of hope, healing, and second chances for children, as St Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care marked its 90th birthday.

Established in the mid 1930s by five German Pallottine Missionary Sisters in Cape Town, St Joseph’s has always worked to bridge the gap between hospital and home for children who are too ill to return home but no longer have/need acute hospital care.

In September, the hospital marked its nine-decker birthday with a Thanksgiving Mass in St Joseph’s chapel, and everyone who had walked the journey with them was there. Patients, families, staff, partners, donors, and the wider Catholic community.

We can’t speak about the incredible work that St Joseph’s heroes have done without sharing the stories they’ve been a part of.

Take Qaqamba Cuba, for example, who everyone at St Joseph’s calls Angel.

Angel was born with congenital scoliosis, a serious spinal deformity that made it hard for her to breathe. She eventually needed a tracheostomy and a ventilator to assist her. For eight years, she got specialised care at St Joseph’s. While she was getting better, she also went to the school there, moving up from Grade 3 to Grade 7. Now she’s 26 and pursuing her master’s degree!

“The care I received here was very good. I also benefited from the on-site school… It’s so nice to come back and see that it’s still the same caring place,” says Angel.

Another example is that of a brave little boy named Zachary.

After being hit by a car, 10-year-old Zachary was left brain-damaged and in a coma. Doctors got him stable, but because public hospitals were short on beds, he was moved to St Joseph’s for restorative and rehabilitative treatment. His parents, understandably overwhelmed and worried, were so relieved to find a place where their son could get the care he needed, and where they could learn how to care for him.

Zachary got daily care and therapy at St Joseph’s for six months, as his parents learned how to manage his complex needs. Slowly but surely, he started to swallow, then move, and eventually speak. Now, Zachary’s back at school and getting to experience the childhood that was almost snatched away from him.

Instead of sending kids home prematurely, or to clinics that are overwhelmed by rising demands for community-based care and by the increasing patient load at community health facilities, many are sent to St Joseph’s.

This is why they play such an important role worth celebrating.

Without them, vulnerable kids could face complications, end up back in the hospital, or face an even worse outcome from preventable issues.

It’s also the only dedicated paediatric intermediate care facility in South Africa that offers 24/7 medical, nursing, and therapy support free of charge. St Joseph’s helps about 300 kids every year where they get daily rehab, schooling, good food, playtime, and counselling. Plus, parents and guardians learn how to care for their child at home.

For all the amazing work they do, St Joseph’s also needs help.

It does receive a subsidy from the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, but this support covers only a portion of what’s needed to provide the round-the-clock nursing, medical, and therapeutic care.

Each year, St Joseph’s must raise millions more to sustain its high standard of restorative and compassionate care. Without these additional resources, children risk facing life-threatening complications at home, and hospitals remain overburdened by preventable readmissions.

As part of its 90-year legacy of mercy and healing, they have launched the 9 ZERO Challenge, where donors can pledge and encourage their network to do the same. It’s how we at home can make a lasting impact. Find out more about that here.