George Hospital would like to thank Fancourt for the kind donation of linen. The condemned duvets, sheets and pillow cases have been used to manufacture hospital scrubs and shoe covers to supplement the hospital’s supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for hospital staff. The high-quality cotton linen is ideal to manufacture durable and comfortable clothing to protect our health care workers on the front-line.
Azaria, a local NPO partner of the George Hospital Trust, has a dedicated team of women who have worked hard to sew the protective clothing in record time. Azaria provides skills training and job creation opportunities for those seeking to an opportunity to escape cycles of vulnerability. The George Hospital Facility Board has also contributed towards the cost of the project by paying for the labour and elastics.
On Friday 17 July 2020, the hospital received the first delivery of personal protective clothing, which will be worn by front line staff caring for patients in the dedicated COVID-19 wards at George Hospital. Michael Vonk, Hospital CEO, “acknowledged the generous donation from Fancourt and recognised how this project demonstrates the community spirit of the residents of George, who are all working as a collective to control the spread of COVID-19”
Pillow cases will also be used to sew cloth masks as part of the #mask4george project. The #masks4george project was initiated by the George Hospital and aims to raise funds to purchase and distribute cloth masks to the most vulnerable members of the population in George. The objective is to urgently supply 100 000 masks to those who cannot afford to buy a mask.
A group of residents from the Groenkloof retirement village, also known as the “Groenkloof Masketeers” who have already sewed and donated more than 6000 masks towards this project have volunteered to use some of the donated linen to sew more masks.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, more than ever, we now need everyone to wear face mask, maintain social distance and practice good hand hygiene.