Durban school donates R80 000 to local hospital
The donation will be used to renovate the Durban Girls’ College room at the hospital. The school has supported the children's hospital since it began in 1931 as Addington Children’s Hospital.
THE Alumni Association from Morningside school Durban Girls’ College recently donated R80 000 toward renovations at KwaZulu-Natal Children’s Hospital.
Trisha Parshotam, chair of the DGC Alumni Association, officially handed over the cheque’ to Taryn Millar, CEO of the KwaZulu-Natal Children’s Hospital Trust on Thursday, November 24. The donation will be used to renovate the Durban Girls’ College room at the hospital.
Parshotam thanked those who contributed towards fundraising for the donation, including Durban Girls’ College, the Victor Daitz Foundation and Tiger Brands. She also thanked Joint Medical Holdings who attended the event.
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Parshotam said the DGC community has supported the hospital since its inception as the Addington Children’s Hospital in 1931.
“The hospital was the first facility in Africa exclusively dedicated to the well-being of children. It was built in 1928 by Durban City Councillor and one-time Deputy Mayor Mary Siedle,” said Parshotam.
Siedle was said to have built the hospital after she heard a story of a young boy with dysentery trekking from Mayville to Addington Hospital only to be turned away because there wasn’t a bed.
Taryn Millar, CEO of the KwaZulu-Natal Children’s Hospital Trust, explained that their role is to raise funds and project-manage infrastructure development at the hospital.
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“The donation will be used to renovate the Durban Girl’s College room which is located in the original main children’s hospital building. In the 1930s, Durban Girl’s College sponsored that room when the hospital was originally built. The hospital was closed in 1984 and remained closed for 28 years. When the hospital was rebuilt, the community played a big part, and we are hoping to involve the community now as it is renovated,” she said.
Once completed, the room will form part of a children’s ward.
“This room was the old nurses’ station and now forms part of a section of the building which hasn’t been renovated yet. Once renovated, it will form part of a 10-bed child psychiatric inpatient ward. We are still fundraising for the facility, which will include a child and adolescent ward,” said Millar.
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