Pollak Park Women’s Forum spreads kindness at Impumelelo Self Help Centre
The Pollak Park Women’s Forum marked Women’s Month by giving back to residents of the Impumelelo Self Help Centre while highlighting the challenges faced by people living with disabilities.
The Pollak Park Women’s Forum took the time to spread joy and kindness at the Impumelelo Self Help Centre on August 15.
The purpose of the programme was to honour Women’s Month by giving back to the centre and to put smiles on their faces.
Speaking about the purpose of the day, Susan Matlhogela said, “We believe in showing love by giving back.
“We may not have the financial resources, and planning takes time, but we are full of love and want to make you feel appreciated.”
Impumelelo Self Help Centre is a facility which supports people living with disabilities such as quadriplegics and paraplegics.
One of the residents, Joseph Machweu, has been living with a disability for 20 years. He talked about his experience.
“I came to terms with my condition. As a person living with a disability, I’ve noticed that people are often curious and wonder how we get around.
“Instead of staring or discussing it among themselves, people should ask themselves how they can offer assistance,” he said.
He also highlighted some of the challenges they have at the facility.
One of the guest speakers, ward councillor Thulani Simelane, spoke about the challenges faced by people living with disabilities and commended the women who organised the event to celebrate the lives of men and women in Impumelelo.
“Some things are not as easy as we may think. It is not easy to live with a disability and to accept that situation.
“God gave these women the wisdom to organise a day like this, where they celebrate the lives of the men and women of Impumelelo,” he said.
Simelane also highlighted some of the challenges experienced at the centre and outlined how he plans to assist.
“We are trying to encourage more people to come here and assist in whatever way they can. This facility sometimes experiences power outages because it is registered not as a facility but as a residential home.
“We have therefore made a commitment to bring engineers who will assess the situation and assist,” he said.
He also encouraged community members to dedicate their time to helping at the centre.
“Not everything needs money; some things just need your time and effort,” he said.
