Ngwenya Market Day and Cafe shines some light on mental health

Ngwenya Glass Village was the place to be on Sunday, October 8 as residents flocked to the venue for their monthly market day and the launch of the Purple Pumpkin Initiative.

The Purple Pumpkin is not only a café and ordinary dining establishment but also launched an initiative that hopes to create awareness about mental health and mental well-being in society.

“I was involved in a relationship with someone who suffered from mental health problems. Sometime before he passed away, he always said I should take on the coffee shop area that we now have and I was always reluctant. I was not keen to do that type of business. But then on July 30 this year after months of fighting his inner demons, he began to lose focus and he started spiralling out of control. He ultimately tried to commit suicide,” said Purple Pumpkin Initiative founder Bruce Fowler.

He added that the initiative serves the customers like any other establishment, however, a portion of the money made will be donated to suicide prevention organisations as well as mental health awareness causes.

”We hope this initiative will shine a light on mental health awareness and emotional well-being. This is also a good way to provide jobs for unemployed individuals,” Fowler said.

The initiative was also in collaboration with other non-profit organisations that hoped to make their mark in their charitable efforts such as Angels for Africa and ‘I Love Boobies’ which is a breast cancer awareness organisation.