The Boikanyo Foundation seeks marketing and public relations partner

Founded 2006, the Boikanyo Foundation is a South African NGO that aims to reduce the number of disadvantaged and underprivileged children awaiting life-changing heart surgery. The Foundation aims to improve the Children's Heart Surgery unit at the Johannesburg Hospital by providing resources and opportunities.

Earlier this year the foundation, registered as a Section 21 company, received a generous grant from the Carl and Emily Fuchs Foundation, mainly to be used for marketing and PR activities.

The Johannesburg Hospital's Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery has only 3 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds and a limited budget available with which they can perform around 150 open heart procedures on children per year. This falls drastically short of the nearly 220 cases presented for surgery per year, leading to an ever increasing waiting list for heart surgery. Many of these children require relatively simple procedures, such as closing small holes in their hearts, which if repaired, would provide them a normal quality of life and life-span.

One of the major factors limiting the number of open heart procedures performed at Johannesburg Hospital, is the shortage of trained ICU sisters and the retention of staff to watch over our children post-operatively. So by being allowed to use the equipment and the infrastructure of the Johannesburg Hospital and by generously receiving the services of the surgeons, anaesthetists and perfusionists free of charge, all the Boikanyo Foundation needs to finance is the necessary medical consumables required and the additional nursing staff to care for the children in ICU. Therefore we are able to keep the costs to a minimum and save a life for approximately R40,000.

The main task of the consultant or agency will be the development and implementation of a PR and marketing strategy, which should include a powerful media engagement component as well as promotional events.

Boikanyo Foundation has its own designer for marketing material and the basic items have been developed and printed (e.g. brochures, sign boards, letterhead and business cards).Some promotional material has been developed, like key rings, pins and surgery scrub suits.

Our offices are situated in Parktown, adjacent to the Johannesburg Hospital.

Please contact Marieke Ndlovu for more information might your company might be interested.

(m) 083 3615010
(t) 087 7201608