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Home Organisation for Paediatric Support in South Africa Registered as: Non-Profit Organisation: 082-207-NPO Public Benefit Organisation: 930035297  Inaugural South African Conference: Supporting Children in Healthcare We had a wonderful conference in April 2013 and were joined by presenters from across the world. Click here to see the great program we had. Thank you to Netcare and our sponsors who made this possible. We are taking small but definite steps towards our ultimate goal: Empowering children and their families in healthcare! Why this organisation? Hospitalisation and other healthcare experiences can be very traumatic for children. These children are subjected to an environment which they do not understand, nor have any control over, they are faced with many unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells and they have to undergo frightening and often painful procedures. Across the world, organisations such as the Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare in Australia or the European Association for Children in Hospital with more than 20 members and associate members, as well as programs like the Child Life Services in the USA or the Hospital Play Specialists in the UK, advocate for the support of children in healthcare facilities. You can also download a letter from a Paediatric Emergency Physician / Professor in the USA on the benefits of Child Life. The Organisation for Paediatric Support in South Africa (OPSSA) utilises Child Life principles to empower children and families in healthcare. We strive to increase the availability of information and to promote quality healthcare in all healthcare facilities throughout South Africa. Have a look at our detailed objectives in the drop down menu "About us" above. We also support the Child Friendly Healthcare Initiative (CFHI) that is based on the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child. You can visit their websites here:  Bitter are the tears of a child: Sweeten them. Deep are the thoughts of a child: Quiet them. Sharp is the grief of a child: Take it from him. Soft is the heart of a child: Do not harden it. PAMELA GLENCONNER |
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