Mandela Day celebrations brighten our senior tenants’ day

Vulamathuba Empumelelo celebrated Mandela Day by treating 90 senior Communicare tenants to a Wellness Fair at their Community Learning Centre in Brooklyn.

The Wellness Fair forms part of Vulamathuba’s objective to support vulnerable, special needs, and at-risk tenants to maintain their tenancy and access appropriate psycho-social support services. The day included various service providers ranging from TB/HIV Care, who provided health checks, a dietician from the local community health centre and representatives from Cape Peninsula Organisation for the Aged. The tenants were also pampered with neck and shoulder massages and manicures.

In the true spirit of Mandela, who believed that “peace is the creation of an environment where we can all flourish regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, gender, class, caste or any other social markers of difference”, the programme brought together tenants from different complexes and backgrounds promoting harmonious living.

The Wellness Fair was not just a once-off event but forms part of the monthly Health and Wellness Programme Vulamathuba provides to the seniors at Huis Alleyne Yeld, Montclair Place, Mez Wallach, Musgrave Park, Bothasig Gardens, Riverside, Drommedaris, Reyger Court and Goedehoop.

According to Ashleigh Lawrence, coordinator of the Wellness Fair, “Older people must live healthy, active lives to be independent for longer. Therefore, attending these monthly fitness classes, health talks, and gardening opportunities offered by Vulamathuba is essential for physical and mental well-being.”

From the feedback received from the tenants at the Wellness Fair, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. According to one of the tenants, Winnie, “I almost didn’t come today, but I felt like God told me to get up, and now I am so grateful I did.”

But it is the words of Geraldine Van Heerden from Cresswell House that sums the day up best, “It was a wonderful event with unadulterated laughter, entirely entertaining, a few fitness moves, informative in terms of health matters and day-to-day living, mutual respect and just enjoying laughter as we wanted to. I think each of us made at least one friend on the day.”

Vulamathuba Empumelelo would like to extend a big thank you to the following donors:

  • One39Central
  • Avon
  • Light and Healing
  • APD (Association for the Physically Disabled)
  • Oral Hygienist, Dr Heike De Vries from Dunoon clinic
  • The Brooklyn Mosque
  • Meals on Wheels
  • Mr Nkosipendule Nalweni from Bothasig Clinic
  • Communicare staff
  • Annique representative, Marche-Lerice Potgieter
  • TB/HIV Care
  • Audiologist Zola Mbaxa from Just Hearing
  • Vulamathuba Economic Mobility volunteers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tenants or community members who are interested in more information about Vulamathuba Empumelelo and their various social cohesion and economic mobility programmes for the young and old, can visit www.vulamathuba.org.za or e-mail admin@vulamathuba.org.za.