Upliftment centre restores the dignity of homeless people of Krugersdorp West
A shower is all you need to feel better about yourself and the Grace Upliftment centre is ensuring homeless people find that bit of joy by starting a Mobile Shower.
While there are people who are in privileged positions to take a shower whenever they might feel like it, this is unfortunately not the case for the community’s most vulnerable.
The Grace House Upliftment centre realised this need and its importance of it to people who are not in fortunate positions to take a shower regularly.
Earlier in November, numerous homeless people within the Krugersdorp West community were invited to take a shower in a mobile shower that the centre has created. This is a new imitative by the upliftment centre and the event included a braai, a fresh set of clothes, a new haircut and prayers offered by the members of Christian Faith Worship Centre.
“Today is the launch of the mobile shower project with all the clothes and shoes that were donated,” said Veronica Loupas from Christian Faith Worship Centre. Hendrik van Rooyen, who is described by Loupas as the brain behind the mobile shower, is one of the managers of Grace House Upliftment centre and gave the News a brief insight on why he started the project.
“The homeless people who come and receive food at the local shelter will bath in the sewers just down the road with the dirty water,” Van Rooyen said as he elaborated further that the project is about restoring dignity and hygiene because who does not feel good after having a shower.
After receiving office cabins to use at the centre so people can store their clothes in them, Van Rooyen believes God spoke to him and told him to rather build a mobile shower after he assembled two of the cabins together. The rest came along easily, as everything was sponsored.
“People heard that we wanted to create a mobile shower and donated to the cause.” This includes the trailer that is being used so that the mobile shower is truly mobile.
“Having the trailer tested so it can be considered roadworthy was also sponsored,” Van Rooyen continued.
The upliftment centre is planning on effectively making use of the mobile shower by going out every second day so that the homeless people in Krugersdorp West can have a regular shower. Van Rooyen emphasises that he would like the community, together with local businesses, to be more involved in this project and that it should also grow in other communities.
“We would like to build more of these mobile showers for other communities such as Florida and Roodepoort and wherever the need may be.”
Councillor Mark Trump joined the event and shared that this initiative is one that is supported by the local council because this restores dignity in people. Councillor Trump emphasised that centres like Grace House Upliftment should strive to be sustainable, “Keeping things going and not just a once off,” he said.
“This trailer they [Grace House Upliftment centre] built is very specific. If there are other organisations who may feel compassionate about the vulnerable people on the street; Grace House Upliftment centre is ready to build these trailers for them, as they have worked out the costs,” he continued and also encouraged business to form part of these projects by becoming sponsors.
The mobile shower is a community project that has brought the community together and is assisting homeless people by restoring their dignity and helping them find their feet and enter society with a better perspective than before.
