About us

The Friends of the Children’s Hospital Association (FOCHA) is a voluntary support group to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital that believes that physical and emotional healing work simultaneously. It seeks to provide amenities, assistance and care to the patients and families of the hospital.

Throughout our lives we all need friends – and even more so when one of our children is sick and in hospital. FOCHA is committed to helping make the hospital experience less traumatic for patients and their families. We do this by providing emotional support as well as practical assistance. Volunteers with brightly coloured toy trolleys filled with fun goodies visit the hospital wards giving love and comfort to sick children who are often scared and missing their families. Volunteering changes lives – for both the volunteers and the patients.

Our Association depends solely on the support of the community. With your help we are able to provide a more comfortable stay for the children and their families at the hospital – because happiness is going home!

About us

The Friends of the Children’s Hospital Association (FOCHA) is a voluntary support group to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital that believes that physical and emotional healing work simultaneously. It seeks to provide amenities, assistance and care to the patients and families of the hospital.

Throughout our lives we all need friends – and even more so when one of our children is sick and in hospital. FOCHA is committed to helping make the hospital experience less traumatic for patients and their families. We do this by providing emotional support as well as practical assistance. Volunteers with brightly coloured toy trolleys filled with fun goodies visit the hospital wards giving love and comfort to sick children who are often scared and missing their families. Volunteering changes lives – for both the volunteers and the patients.

Our Association depends solely on the support of the community. With your help we are able to provide a more comfortable stay for the children and their families at the hospital – because happiness is going home!

FOCHA has about 100 volunteers who take turns to visit the wards and clinics. Through playing with and reading to our young patients, our volunteers comfort them and give them lots of love.
We also provide:

• Food parcels for the needy / families in need
• Clothing and toiletries for parents from upcountry /parents and patients admitted long term
• Support groups for parents incl. Hiv/Aids; Parent Education on Hygiene; Infectious disease and condition specific education
• Beading projects/Arts & crafts incl. Beading; Jewellery-making; Scrap booking
• Individual Christmas parties & presents for inpatients and clinics
• Birthday parties for in and outpatients through the year
• Radios and tape recorders for the bedridden
• Televisions sets for the wards
• Ventilation machines
• Transportation to and from clinics

If you are over 16 and have a few hours to spare per week, you could play with the children, work in our fundraising shop, work on the reception desk, run the mobile library or help in the donations room. If you have special skills like aromatherapy, reflexology, business knowledge or are technology savvy, book keeping or fundraising – we’d also love to hear from you. 
You might prefer to donate financially or in kind. We welcome monetary donations as well as:

• New or used toys and books
• clothing or bric-a-brac in good
• clean condition-
•  Knitted blankets
• Stock overruns
• Rejected clothing (seconds).

 Join our Association!

•  If you have 2 hours spare one morning per week, please volunteer to assist with play in the wards, or to help in the fundraising shop.
•  If you are a scholar or student over the age of 16, you could volunteer to play in the wards or assist in the toyroom during holiday periods.
• If you have special skills, or a business that could assist with talents, expertise, donations or discounted merchandise, please contact us.
• Please contact us if you would like to convene or collect in our annual street collection.

Lend a helping hand

Please Donate

• Any new or used toys, books, puzzles, dolls and soft toys.
• Unwanted kitchen goods, clothing, and any other unwanted articles.
• Food parcels for needy families.
• Knitted blankets and winter wear.
• Financial donations, either annually, monthly or one-offs from individuals, service clubs, trusts, companies or religious organisations.

Bequests

• Should you wish your care for sick children to live on after you, you could remember the Friends in your will.

Volunteerism is the foundation on which The Friends of the Children’s Hospital Association was built. Volunteers within the organization compassionately and generously donate their talent, time, skills and experience to FOCHA, thus strengthening and supporting us in providing a needs-based service to the patients and their families attending the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. 

What is a volunteer?

A volunteer is a person who willingly does an assignment of work that needs to be done within the structure of The Friends of the Children’s Hospital Association, without pay and without it being compulsory to do so. Volunteers make an important contribution to the success of the organization. 

strengthening and supporting us in providing a needs-based service to the patients and families

Volunteerism mandate:

The mandate of the program is to ensure visibility at all times and offer needs-based support.All volunteers undergo a screening and orientation session before commencing duty with the hospital.Volunteers generally commit to one day per week, between the hours 9h00 – 12h00. On Tuesdays and Thursdays these hours are extended to an afternoon session which runs from 14h00 – 16h00.  

Our volunteers are divided into three categories i.e.:

• Local volunteers
• International volunteers
• Student volunteers. (School, college & university). School students are required to job-shadow, college students are required to fulfill a certain amount of hours volunteering, and university students want to get the “feel” of a medical facility.

The Friends of the Children’s Hospital Association assumes a supervisory role to volunteers placed as a form of quality assurance of the service they provide. Volunteers are needed in the following areas:

• Fundraising Shop
• In the wards interacting with our patients through play or being a ward assistant.
• Initiating Fundraising Events
• Assisting with the Organisation’s events.
• General administration duties, example reception, filing, correspondence etc.

How do you become a volunteer?The following information is thus needed in order for you to become a registered volunteer with our organization.

• Contact us for an application form or alternatively collect a form at our reception area.  
• Supply us with two written letters of reference (character references) to be attached to your application form.
• A letter of motivation as to why you would like to volunteer at the Red Cross Hospital.
• A copy of your identification document.
• We will then screen your application, after which we will call you in for an interview.
• Should your application be successful, we will then register you onto our programme.

Contact Details:

Telephone:                           +27 21 658 5243

Fax:                                          086 663 5411    

E-mail:                                    fochaprogs@iafrica.com 

Contact Person:                 Joy Rinquist

To receive a copy of The Friends of the Children’s Hospital Association’s 2011/2012 Annual Report,

please send a request to fochaweb@iafrica.com with your details.

Because happiness is going home!

••• is there any better time to show you care and make a difference?? #christmas2012 •••

Avril Isaacs

Managing Director

fochamanager@iafrica.com

Liezel Menigo

Programmes Manager

focha@iafrica.com

Inga Coert

Marketing Liaison

fochaweb@iafrica.com

Joy Rinquist

Volunteer Administrator

fochaprogs@iafrica.com

Kim Lockman

Accounts Administrator