American Friends of the Phelophepa Train
320 W. 13th Street
New York, NY 10014

Hello and thank you for taking the time to visit our Givezooks! page to learn about this unique and wonderful cause. 

The Phelophepa train (pronounced pay-low-pe-pa) is the only one of its kind in the world.  Each year it travels the length and breadth of South Africa, bringing medical treatment and hope to 45,000 people who would otherwise never see a Doctor.

In June  2009, sponsored by Virgin Atlantic, Canon  and Seagate, three extraordinary high school students set off to spend a week with the train in Zululand. Their intention was to make a new fund-raising video for the  foundation as the last one we had was ten years old and out of date.  “Phelophepa, Train of Hope” is the short documentary film they made, which will be released in Spring 2010 (You can see the trailer above and visit www.trainofhopemovie.com for more information). They  have set up  a fundraiser to accompany the promotion and release of the film and are asking for your help.

Run by the Transnet Foundation, the Phelophepa train brings quality basic healthcare to rural communities where health services and medical infrastructure are otherwise unavailable. From a three-car clinic, it has now grown to an eighteen-car train equipped with multiple clinics (optometry, pharmacy, dental, primary care) staff accommodations, dining room, kitchen, laundry, power and storage.  Each year, the train operates for 37 weeks, treats an estimated 45,000 individuals onboard and serves more than a million through its outreach programs into schools, villages and communities. It also provides training to volunteers in basic health care and students from tertiary institutions in dental, optometry, pharmacy, hospitality and psychology.  Rain or shine, the train covers more than 9500 miles of railroad a year, serving 250 meals a day and issuing 24,000 prescriptions.  It has brought life-changing medical care and education to millions of poor rural South African men women and children.

With a proven track record of success and an insatiable demand for it’s services, Transnet now plan to build a second train and change the lives of millions more. We hope that the film these remarkable students have made and donated to us will help to raise awareness and funding for this much needed new train. Every bit counts, so please donate generously to help us lay the tracks in front of this unique project.

With our heartfelt thanks,

Cathe Kruger
Executive Vice president
American Friends of the Phelophepa Train 
 

PLEASE NOTE: if you are donating from outside the USA by credit card, please ignore the "State/Province" drop down menu and just select the country instead.