Wear purple for preemies today

WEAR purple for preemies and join an international campaign as the world celebrates World Prematurity Day.

The Newborns Groote Schuur Trust (NGST) is encouraging all South Africans to support and celebrate this initiative by purchasing a R10 sticker at select Toys-R-Us stores across the country in aid of the cause #WearPurpleforPreemies.

The first campaign was launched in South Africa in 2011 to help raise awareness and educate the public on the various challenges of premature birth for babies and parents.

Over 60 countries and 1.4 billion people join together on 17 November each year to celebrate World Prematurity Day to raise awareness about the global problems of pre-term birth, the needs of prematurely born babies and cost-effective interventions for mothers and babies before, during and after childbirth.

Every 30 seconds one baby is born prematurely worldwide, while one in seven babies born in South Africa are born before a complete term.

The goal of the NGST’s Wear Purple for Preemies campaign is to help raise much needed funds to upgrade and expand the specialist hospital care unit dedicated to prematurely born babies at the Groote Schuur Hospital’s Neonatal and Ultrasound Units.

The NGST will also be honouring the 1.1 million newborn babies who have not survived this fight, and those prematurely born babies who fight ongoing health problems and disabilities daily because they arrived too soon.

How to get involved

*Get your R10 sticker and wear PURPLE on 17 November

*Go to the NGST Facebook page www.facebook.com/newbornstrustSA  for news, competitions and events

*Join the official World Prematurity Day Facebook page and share your story and post a pic wearing purple

*Remember to hashtag #WearPurpleforPreemies to keep the conversation trending

*Make a donation online on the NGST website www.newborns.org.za.