BEKIMPILO Trust bid a fond farewell to four of its greatest supporters and long-standing trustees at Bellevue Cafe recently.
Gordon Dowsett was the NPO’s chairman for 23 years and was involved with the trust for 30 years,
Dr Colleen Pieterse was involved for the past 30 years and was a trustee for 15 years while both Richard Tolkein and Lindiwe Kuzwayo have been involved as trustees for 15 years.
Bekimpilo Trust, a registered non-profit organisation, was born out of a need for an alternative strategy to meet the health needs of rapidly expanding peri-urban communities in KwaZulu-Natal.
ALSO READ: Comrades runners help Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust raise over R1m
The trust was established in 1987 with the initial purpose of facilitating the set up of neighbourhood health teams in these communities.
The teams provided community-based preventive and promotive health care that was directed primarily, but not exclusively, at youth and their primary caregivers.
Each team was set up with the support of the KZN Department of Health and, by the end of 1992, it was providing services from nine venues in communities across Durban.
Subsequently, an additional mobile health education team was established.
“Six of our eight units are on primary school properties in the rural areas of eThekwini. Our services are also extended to crechés, factories, stokvel clubs and retirement homes,” said the NPO’s Cliff Robins.
“In addition, the trust has facilitated the establishment of women’s groups, community gardens and youth groups, many of which are involved in income generating activities,” said Cliff.
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
To receive our free newsletter click here.
