Solar power up and running Choc Houses… Algoa FM managing director, Alfie Jay, (second from right) and Hedley Lewis, Choc, CEO (second from left) inspect the solar system controls which are installed inside the house. With them are Debbie Kleinenberg, Choc Eastern Cape regional manager (left) and Mavis Louw, grandmother of a childhood cancer patient.
Choc was the beneficiary of the Algoa FM Big Walk for Cancer that took place in Gqeberha, East London and George in November last year attracting 11,000 participants.
“The Choc House is a beacon of hope to many families, and we are pleased that the Big Walk for Cancer could make this solar panel installation possible. We are all affected by load shedding, and alternative power sources have become necessary to keep the lights on,” said Alfie Jay, Algoa FM managing director.
The Choc houses in the Eastern Cape provide accommodation for families and their children while the patient undergoes cancer treatment. In Gqeberha, the Choc accommodation is situated in Parsons Hill close to Provincial Hospital, and in East London, the houses are located in Beacon Bay close to Frere Hospital.
“Families stay at these facilities at no cost and receive nutritious meals and transport to and from the hospital when required,” explained Hedley Lewis, Choc chief executive officer.
Out of town patients and their parents or caregivers travel from across the Eastern Cape to receive cancer treatment.
“The families appreciate the home away from home with the sounds of moms chatting and children playing. On average, we accommodate close to 4,000 bed night services per annum in the Eastern Cape,” Lewis added.
Mavis Louw from Kirkwood confirmed Lewis’s sentiments. She is the grandmother of 13-year-old twin boys, one of whom was diagnosed with brain cancer. While her grandson was in hospital, she was accommodated at the Choc House in Parsons Hill she explained. “The families of the patients become one big family at the Choc House. I am grateful for the accommodation and the transport to and from hospital that we get here for free. Kirkwood is too far to travel in and out every day,” said Louw.
The solar power supply will ensure that parents and patients are not left in the dark during the night.
