Medical Clinics and Outreach
The doctor's shoe with the AIDS ribbon represents our medical clinics and outreach. Bigshoes provides free specialist paediatric services for orphaned and vulnerable children including:
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Children are seen in our clinic in Braamfontein and in the paediatric out-patient department at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto. Three paediatric clinics are run each week at these locations, two in Braamfontein and one at Baragwanath. Bigshoes doctors also do “house calls” for the children’s homes and assists four children’s homes in running medical outreach services for orphaned and vulnerable children living in the community. These four “high need” children’s homes situated in Johannesburg are: St. Francis Care Centre, Boksburg; The Love of Christ Ministries, Eikenhof; Cotlands, Turfontein and Lambano, Wychwood. Our team of doctors sees between 5 – 8 patients at each of these clinics.
1. ST FRANCIS CARE CENTRE: BOKSBURG
 | Bigshoes has been involved with this children’s home since 2003. The Bigshoes doctors currently assist the home to run an in-patient anti-retroviral treatment service to children resident in this home and its overflow home: Epworth Children’s Village in Germiston. The Project supervises the anti-retroviral treatment for children admitted to both of these children’s homes and conduct follow up treatment for children not yet on treatment. In addition the home runs a community based anti-retroviral treatment clinic (sponsored by the South African Catholic Bishops Council through PEPFAR) from the St Francis Care center that provides children with ART and provides follow up for HIV infected children not yet requiring ART. |
2. THE LOVE OF CHRIST MINISTRIES: EIKENHOF
 | This beautiful busy children’s home situated on a plot in the South of Johannesburg is home to 60 children. The Bigshoes doctors provide medical services that include immunizations, consultations for sick children, HIV testing and adoption medicals. Children are regularly placed out of this home, many of whom are adopted internationally. |
3. COTLANDS: TURFONTEIN
 | Bigshoes doctors visit this well known children’s home on a weekly basis and see between 5 – 8 patients a week at the home. Our doctors also visit Baragwanath Hospital to see Cotland’s community children there. This small clinic also sees about 8 patients a week. |
4. LAMBANO: WYCHWOOD
 | Lambano was really one of the reasons why Bigshoes got started in the first place. Dr Meiring’s experience volunteering for this children’s home when she was a Paediatric Registrar inspired her to co-found the project with Dr Sherman in 2003. Lambano sanctuary has, just like bigshoes, expanded their services at a rapid rate. The organisation now runs four children’s homes that cater for 30 children and is busy building a children’s hospice in Germiston. |
 | In addition Lambano runs a community based outreach service for HIV affected families in Katlehong. This year Lambano and Bigshoes approached Kathorus children’s home in Kathorus to provide us with facilities from which to run a children’s clinic. Children are seen in this clinic with common childhood conditions as well as for HIV testing and referred to Natalspruit hospital for further management including anti-retroviral treatment when necessary. |