Central SA
Meals on Wheels pledges support for #JagersfonteinDisaster victims─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 09:09 Sat, 17 Sep 2022
Non-profit organisation Meals on Wheels has vowed to continue its support for victims of the Jagersfontein disaster.
The Chief Executive Officer of Meals on Wheels, Nelisa Mabenge, tells OFM News they were one of the organisations that were first to respond to the incident after a mine dam burst in the early hours of Sunday 11 September.
She says they’ve assisted over 2000 people with meals at least three times a day.
Mabenge adds they also have been providing clean water for the victims, and further explains that they thought it important to provide vouchers since the victims lost everything in a mudslide that swept away houses, cars and belongings of residents.
“We have been on the ground since day one, we will continue to be on the ground until this disaster is over. We do not leave our victims vulnerable; we make sure we are with them through the difficult times until they find themselves back on their feet again,” adds Mabenge.
Mabenge futher adds that they have been on the ground and attentive to the needs of victims.
“We provided residents with blankets and we are also looking into the clothing items as well to make sure that the right sizes are distributed. We have overall been there for them and we also want to make sure that they get the psychological support, so our caregivers who are qualified will now be coming in to profile what pshycological support is needed for the victims in order to get to them mentally and emotionally as well,” she said.
Mabenge also explains that the organisation is embarking on a life changing programme for poor and vulnerable communities.
“We also have embarked on an empowerment programme to see to it that these poverty-stricken communities do not go back to their previous situations. So, our development project looks at training, it looks at education in terms of making sure that these individuals are empowered and placed into the market place to provide for themselves because ours as Meals on Wheels is not to link long queues but to shorten them,” said Mabenge.
Mabenge concluded by saying that they want to ensure that vulnerable communities are empowered so that they are able to provide for themselves.
