Meet Aliwelwa

Mossel Bay is one of South Africa’s most picturesque seaside towns. Tourists flock to this beautiful coastline, which is nestled between the Indian Ocean and the rugged Outeniqua Mountains, due to its wonderful summer weather, vast variety of recreational activities, and thriving commerce in nearby George. People also flock from rural areas to seek work.

What most tourists don’t see beyond the beaches and attractions, is the 28 informal settlements housing and estimated 6500 families. And with a 33% unemployment rate in South Africa, the number of new families and informal structures is growing rapidly.

One of these small shacks is home to five-year-old Aliwelwa’s father. It’s a hot summer’s day in March and Aliwelwa is visiting his father for the weekend; his mother doesn’t live in the informal settlement. His father is busy reheating food while Aliwelwa plays inside the shack. Only about a quarter of these households have legal electricity, while a third have no electricity at all, meaning families such as little Aliwelwa’s rely on wood or coal fires or gas stoves to boil water and make food.

It’s hot and dry and the fire Aliwelwa’s father is cooking on somehow spreads. The shack catches alight. The flames rapidly engulf the shack and Aliwelwa can’t escape in time, burning severely. The community members are eventually able to pull him out and save him. He needs urgent medical attention. An aunt calls Aliwelwa’s mother who rushes to the scene, and they take him to the Mossel Bay Hospital where he’s immediately airlifted to the larger George District Hospital to be stabilised.

Burn wounds are very difficult to treat, especially in children as they are more susceptible to infections and serious secondary injuries due to their lower immune systems and thinner skin. Aliwelwa needs to go to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, a 4-hours drive, where their newly upgraded Emergency Centre has a specialised burns treatment room for children, the only facility of its kind in the Western Cape. The Red Cross Hospital Emergency Centre serves 45 000 children a year, 53% of which are under the age of five. The Hospital’s Burns Unit treats approximately 320 children each month.

Aliwelwa had suffered severe burns to his face and body. He was admitted through the Red Cross Hospital’s Emergency Centre in March 2023 and has been in the Hospital’s Burns Unit for almost three months. His mother says, “I’m grateful for all the help and care I have received from the staff at Red Cross. When we first came in here, Aliwelwa couldn’t even eat. He was fed through pipes. And now he’s able to walk and talk on his own again.”

The Hospital supports the families of burn patients, as many come from other areas of the province and country and don’t have the means to accommodate themselves while their children are being treated. Aliwelwa’s mother goes on to say, “I’m so happy Aliwelwa is much better and that he is being discharged from the hospital today. We will spend the week at the parents’ accommodation here within the hospital. And then on Monday, we will have a check-up as an outpatient. They will give us our follow-up date and our treatment plan.”

Thanks to the Red Cross Hospital’s specialised facilities and dedicated, professional team, Aliwelwa and his mother were able to receive the best treatment available regardless of their circumstances.

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital underwent a R122 million upgrade project which took three years and was completed in February 2023. The resolute fundraising team – the Children’s Hospital Trust – reached their target, which included a R1,16 million contribution by the Western Cape government. “We are extremely grateful to our partner, the Children’s Hospital Trust, and to all our donors for helping to make a difference in the lives of all the young patients who need emergency medical and trauma care at our facility,” says Dr Anita Parbhoo, CEO at Red Cross.