I watch as a group of young child choose between the Mickey Mouse teddy bear and the Olaf teddy bear. They stare at the fuzzy toys, puzzled, as though it is the most essential choice in the world. It is in this moment, in each smile as the children grab a hold of the plush, fluffy toys, as they eagerly rip open their education packs, that I begin to realise how important this simple act of charity is for them. That I begin to realise, that each toy is not merely a toy, each book not merely a book. Rather, these are simple objects, that have the ability to change these children’s experience of the hospital.

Heroes4Heroes, in conjunction with The Smile Foundation, created education packs and brought them, along with teddy bears, to children in the burns unit and cleft palate ward of Baragwanath hospital in Soweto. The education packs consisted of books, stationary, chocolate and a note, to help these children stay busy and continue learning while in hospital.

It was difficult to watch the children in pain, yet the immense gratitude they felt for the visit and the gifts, made me want to return as soon as possible. The children in each ward were not older than twelve, some merely babies and due to Covid restrictions, visits from family members were limited or completely restricted. As a result many of the children had to go through these surgeries without their loved ones nearby. And so, to simply have a teddy bear to hold, a book to read or some crayons to colour in with, made the world of a difference to them.