The Kreatiewe Kekkelbekkies

Helen van der Merwe is the proud founder of the Kreatiewe Kekkelbekkies. They are a group of ten astonishing women from the La Bri Retirement Village, who do creative handwork and sell their products to help the needy.

The close-knit group has been gathering every Thursday for the past six years, and Helen goes out of her way to try and teach them anything they wish to learn.

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“Apart from the craft-works we make, we recently started cooking and baking. If I don’t know how to do something, I teach myself what they want to learn, so we can use our skills to help those less fortunate,” she said.

The Kreatiewe Kekkelbekkies sell their hand-made products at flea-markets and church functions. With recent proceeds, they have thrown Christmas parties for La Gratitude, Nil Desperandum and Esperanza Special Needs School.

They also seek food and clothing donations which they give to homes and people at the railway houses. “We have helped two families of eight and sixteen people, who live at the old railway homes. We also gave them a washing machine to make their lives a little easier.”

Member, Lucia Theron said she felt the work they did was awesome, because they enjoyed it and they helped people who have nothing.

“The motto of Kreatiewe Kekkelbekkies is if you have an open hand, you can receive more blessings,” Mrs Theron said.

Supported by their husbands, these bold and helpful women are humbly making a difference in the community, and deserve recognition for their splendid contributions.

Helen said they started playing Bingo to provide entertainment for the elderly and currently have 36 participants. There are more interested in the game but Kreatiewe Kekkelbekkies require sponsors to make the initiative successful. Should anyone wish to be a part of this remarkable group through sponsorships or donations, contact Helen on 082 469 6410.

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