Ray Smuts
A 'reach out and touch someone story is how Mediterranean Shipping Company's Toni van Oortmerssen describes his company's support for a project aimed largely at motivating young cancer patients in Czechoslovakia.
Targeted at children between the ages of ten and 19, the Interactive Holidays project involves a factory-sponsored Skoda Octavia car and teams covering five continents to feed audiovisual, e-mail and internet educational material to young cancer patients at the Motol Hospital in Prague - where 30% of the annual intake of 200 are expected to die - and to other young people in Czechoslovakia.
What is heartening to note, though, is that the cancer survival rate has increased from three percent to 70% in that country over the past 30 years.
Some of the pictures taken by digital camera are likely to be first-time sees for the young cancer children including crayfish and poisonous snakes.
South Africa is the only African country to feature in this, the third such project worldwide, Scandinavia and certain South American countries having been covered already.
MSC is conveying the Skoda free of charge worldwide, Portnet has waived all vehicle-related charges and SA Container Depots (SACD) all storage and transportation costs.
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