Seven years of caring and friendship were celebrated on 7 October when women from Alexandra and surrounding areas gave thanks to Thembalami Care Centre for its Zamokuhle Outreach Programme.
The care centre started the outreach initiative in 2009. Zamokuhle focuses on giving older persons from nearby Alexandra and River Park the chance to get out of the house three times a week and enjoy the company of their peers.
Beneficiaries are taught a variety of handicrafts such as knitting and crocheting while they enjoy morning tea and lunch, and benefit from health and social awareness initiatives.
The anniversary celebration also marked Older Persons Week from 26 September to 2 October, International Day of Older Persons on 1 October and Grandparents Day on 2 October.
The Zamokuhle gogos – as they are fondly known – raised almost R4 000 on their own to host the thanksgiving event. “They spent two days cooking the lunch they served which included samp, pap, rice, vegetables, salad, chicken and juice,” said Thembalami social worker, Lara Hurwitz, who, along with Thembalami, provided cake and ice-cream for dessert.
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A group of 10 girls from New Life Centre in Lombardy East sang and recited a poem dedicated to grandparents while eight girls from an aftercare centre, run by one of the gogos, sang and danced.
Thembalami looks after people who are either physically or mentally frail, or both, and who are in dire need of 24-hour frail care. It forms part of the 113-year-old non-profit Rand Aid Association’s social react division, which provides hope and support through difficult times to people in their golden years.
Members of the community who wish to donate materials for arts and craft activities including wool, paint, beads, glue, paper and crayons or tea, coffee, sugar, milk, cake and biscuits, can contact Lara at Thembalami on 011 882 4434.
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