Thinking-out-of-the-box eases Adult Centre’s blues for now

The water crisis that has left taps dry throughout Endumeni has been hard on the Dundee Adult Centre that caters for the intellectually-challenged.
With 49-54 residents and six live-in staff members at the centre in the Dundee CBD, staff have been forced to think-out-of-the-box when it comes to ensuring that the high standard of care and hygiene at the centre are maintained – in spite of the crisis that has afflicted the municipal area for the past two months.
“We have to do daily laundry for our residents, and of course there is personal hygiene to see to. So water is critical,” said Sister Rags Sanka.
“During this current shortage, we have taken steps to save water by cutting back wherever possible.”
Ray Scholtz, who is in charge of centre maintenance, said that four 5000-litre tanks are available, but these are in constant danger of running dry when the municipal water runs dry – which is often.
“Fortunately, we have a borehole on-site which can provide water to the tanks.
We have re-routed the piping to ensure that the kitchen always has water, which was not the case previously.”
Pumps ensure that the water is circulated from the tanks. “With load-shedding, these come to a standstill and we could possibly look at a generator to keep the flow going,” said Scholtz.
Sister Rags explained that while the centre relies on grant money and a government subsidy, assistance from the generous public is always wanted and appreciated.
“We do various fund-raising activities such as cake sales, which we hope the public will support. The workshop, where residents are taught skills, refurbishes wooden furniture brought in by the public and also assists with funds,” she told the Courier.

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