When a baby is admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) life as it was for the family ends. Priorities change and what was once important is sidelined. This very personal experience is the inspiration behind the formation of Helping Little Hands. Formed in 2017 and based at King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH), Helping Little Hands provides practical support to families of premature and sick babies.
The best medicine you can give a premature baby is time with their mum and dad. Helping Little Hands provides practical support for NICU families, so that their time can be spent with their baby – giving kangaroo care, expressing, breastfeeding and just by spending time bedside.
WA Charity Direct has been ‘fuelling cuddles’ since 2019. We proudly support Helping Little Hands fuel and transport program as families with babies in the NICU come from all over WA. Quite often the cost and time of travel to KEMH every day becomes an insurmountable cost. Heartbreakingly, some families are forced to choose between feeding their families or putting fuel in their car to visit their baby. WA Charity Direct’s funding directly addresses this by provision of fuel and transport vouchers to those families identified by the hospital Social Workers.
