CAPE TOWN TALENT HEATING UP FOR THE TYGERBERG HOSPITAL CHILDREN’S TRUST WORLD PREEMIE FESTIVAL

Tygerberg Hospital Children’s Trust, in partnership with the City of Cape Town, Lagoon Beach Hotel and Cape Media, is proud to present the inaugural World Preemie Festival from 13 – 18 November 2021.

The brand-new line-up of events includes, the Preemie Ultra Invitational 50km Road Run from Gordon’s Bay to the Kleinmond, a cheque hand-over ceremony at Tygerberg hospital, a comedy show called Reboot your Laughter and the Reboot Your Purpose gala experience at the Lagoon Beach Hotel.

Festival Programme:

Day 1: 13 Nov Fun-walk and Community Fair Tygerberg Hospital grounds

Day 2: 14 Nov 50km Invitational Run Somerset West to Kleinmond

Day 3: 17 Nov Handover Ceremony Tygerberg Hospital Grounds

Day 4: 17 Nov Reboot your Laughter Comedy Show Lagoon Beach Hotel

Day 5: 18 Nov Reboot your Purpose Gala Experience Lagoon Beach Hotel

The World Preemie Festival programme will be creatively directed by multiple award-winning performer, writer and THCT Goodwill Ambassador, Quanita Adams.

This year, the festival takes its theme from the many preemie babies and their families – Resilience and Courage. These are the guiding principles underscoring the events and will be the focus of programme and line up, which includes young, dynamic game changers who will be speaking to these ideas as they discuss the concept of Rebooting ideas of profit and purpose in a covid world, all while raising funds to support Tygerberg’s premature babies. The Trust is aiming to raise funds and support towards a R1 million equipment purchase of a Neonatal Ultrasound Machine.

FESTIVAL EVENTS

13 NOVEMBER

The community fair takes place on Saturday, 13 November from 09:00. The fun day will include a 5km walk on the hospital grounds, live music, lucky draws, food stalls and entertainment for the kids. Due to COVID-19 protocols, this year the event is a closed event for the nurses, doctors, staff and patients at Tygerberg hospital.

14 NOVEMBER

The Preemie Ultra Invitational Charity 50km Road Run taking place on 14 November at 06:00 from Gordon’s Bay to the Kleinmond, with one of the Trust’s ambassadors, Dr Caroline Pule and Trust Chairperson, Prof Pierre Goussard, Linda Kinloch, Sam Newton and Nicholas Rupanga to highlight the survival rate of premature babies born at Tygerberg hospital and raise financial sponsorships that will contribute towards the health and wellness of the future children, youth and adults and to purchase much needed critical equipment. Via the Trust’s website, members of the public can sponsor a runner with funds going directly to the cause.

17 NOVEMBER

Experience some comic relief at the Reboot Your Laughter event on 17 November at 19:00, at the Lagoon Beach Hotel’s Brasserie. Join the likes of Stuart Taylor, Ready D, Dalin Oliver, Yaseen Barnes and MC Quanita Adams with a studio-style, purpose-led comedy chat show. See the comedians as never before as they not only deliver blisteringly funny commentary on resilience and courage, but also take us behind the laughs with a more personal panel discussion on changing the narrative of social impact through comedy and storytelling.

18 NOVEMBER

Rounding up World Preemie Festival is The Reboot your Purpose Gala Experience, taking place at the Lagoon Beach Hotel on 18 November at 19:00 in the form of three course dinner by celebrity chef and Tutu Tyger, Chef Katlego, musical entertainment by renowned vocalist Lynelle Kenned and live band, the Pedestrians. A panel discussion around the theme of “Social Impact, courage and resilience” will be moderated by our MC Quanita Adams and explored by Trust CEO Jason Falken, Vusi Vokwana founder and CEO of Kasicatalyst and Claire du Trevou an architect and urbanist and founding member of Bitprop.

The CEO of the THCT has the following to say: “We are very excited to add such a unique festival to the region’s event calendar. Preemie babies are special, and they teach us the meaning of resilience and the courage to overcome. We would like to honour their endearing spirit through a world first, the World Preemie Festival series of events.”

“The City of Cape Town is proud to partner with the Tygerberg Hospital Children’s Trust for a festival that shines the spotlight on the importance of neonatal care. The work done by the Tygerberg Hospital Children’s Trust to support new mothers with premature babies is in line with the City’s own efforts to educate and raise awareness of neonatal and antenatal care services at our facilities. The City is delighted to support an initiative that helps others and we encourage residents to assist in the efforts to raise funds for this cause” says Luthando Tyhalibongo, City of Cape Town spokesperson

Tygerberg Hospital provides specialist medical care for more than half of the babies and children in the Western Cape, who come almost exclusively from indigent communities. The Hospital also provides medical care for child patients from outlying and rural communities within the Western Cape Metropole. Annually, approximately 15 000 babies and children are admitted to the ±300 inpatient beds at Tygerberg Hospital. Many of these children remain in hospital for lengthy periods of time.

The Tygerberg Hospital Children’s Trust would like to thank all the sponsors who came on board to make this festival a success including, the City of Cape Town, Cape Media, the Lagoon Beach Hotel, YQ Holdings DSTV and ETV.