Rand Aid’s Thembalami Care Centre celebrated Heritage Day with the ‘Gogos’ from its Zamokuhle outreach programme on 23 September.
The outreach programme assists elders in nearby Alexandra, River Park, East Bank and Lombardy east.
Run from Thembalami, in Lombardy East, three mornings a week, the programme assists pensioners so that they can remain within their own community for as long as possible.
It provides a platform for them to meet and socialise with other members of the community; allows for the transfer of skills; provides breakfast and lunch, which enables participants to further socialise, while meeting their nutritional needs; empowers participants about elders’ rights; and provides education about ageing, chronic diseases faced by the elderly, dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, amongst others.
“The Gogos celebrated Heritage Day at Thembalami, dressing in their cultural attire and making cultural food. They provided all the ingredients and cooked the meal, while Thembalami provided spinach and pap and ice cream and use of the kitchen,” says Thembalami manager Esme van der Walt.
“It was wonderful to see the Gogos have so much and celebrate the day in style,” she adds.
