Balfour Mall and Flourish celebrate pregnant women
Pregnant mothers will as of July 2 attend antenatal classes at the Balfour Mall for the coming seven weeks and this will be a partnership between the mall and Flourish.
Balfour Mall recently partnered with Flourish franchisees to support pregnant women through the provision of antenatal classes which will run for five weeks from July 2.
The initiative comes after a successful Mother’s Day event that was held at Balfour Mall and attended by mostly women from Alexandra, to celebrate mothers and raise awareness on issues affecting women outside their pregnancy such as gender-based violence and femicide.
The event brought together organisations that work closely with women and often address women issues, such as People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa), and Vuna.
The antenatal classes are meant to support and empower mothers during their pregnancy and focus on topics such as healthy pregnancy, breastfeeding, bonding with baby, and antenatal depression, among others.
Flourish franchisee Nodumo Makaza said this initiative is crucial in empowering mothers in communities which previously did not have access to antenatal classes. “This project will give mothers an opportunity to learn more about a healthy pregnancy.
“There is a lot of information circulating on social media on pregnancy, and mothers are at risk of using this information. At Flourish, we pride ourselves in giving the mothers researched information and providing safe spaces where mothers get support from each other.”
Makaza said Flourish is a community of mothers coming together from all walks of life with the goal to raise healthy babies. “In our classes, we talk about issues that affect pregnant mothers in their day-to-day lives such as dealing with stress as a pregnant woman, bonding with unborn baby, and savings for the future.”
Through their partnership with Himalaya Wellness, all mothers attending classes at the mall will receive a hamper from Himalaya as well as a Flourish branded bag.
Nomsa Qangase, a mother of two from Johannesburg, said she gained a lot of support by attending Flourish classes and she believes out of that, was made a better mother. “When I joined Flourish, I thought I had found a new hobby since I had a child seven years ago.
“I thought I knew everything about motherhood, but to my surprise, there was a lot that I didn’t know and the support that I got from other mothers was special. All mothers deserve this opportunity.”
Kurt Keshwar, marketing manager at Balfour Mall, said the partnership will provide safe spaces for women and allow women to open up to difficult discussions on gender-based violence and mental health.
“This partnership will provide crucial education for women that are alone, with no manual and possibly no support with the rise of gender-based violence. This project has the potential to tap into dark societal issues and kick-start conversations that can help men and the next generation,” Keshwar said.
Details: Nodumo Makaza nodumo23@gmail.com
Related Article:
Marlboro donates blankets to fend off biting cold in Setswetla
