Mary Papaya
Mary Papaya
In September 65-year-old grandmother Mavis Sibiya was found living in a shipping container on the premises of Jacob's Men's Hostel in the south of Durban.
She had suffered a stroke and was semi-paralysed.
Abandoned and alone, she had no family to take care of her. She depended on the goodwill of complete strangers. By chance, a social worker in the area heard about her plight.
She was rescued and placed at John Dunne Home in Wentworth, Durban.
The home caters for 87 elderly men and women, many of whom have been abandoned and have no one to take care of them.
Like Sibiya, for many in the home it is the first time they have had a comfortable bed to sleep on and a proper meal to eat.
"I am grateful. I did not know that some people think we are important enough," Sibiya said.
Like many in her situation, Sibiya's story is one of pain and poverty. It is something the elderly people who have been unfortunate wish to escape from.
Recently, the home loans division at Absa Bank in Durban adopted John Dunne Home as an employee-community involvement project.
The project will see bank employees, with the help of a number of clients and business partners, renovate the old age home.
The employees have set themselves an ambitious target of raising R500000 for the renovations.
Stephanus Burger, regional manager for home loans in KwaZulu-Natal, said: "We have no doubt that we can reach this target, with a little help from our partners.
"The passion and the enthusiasm that our staff has shown is more than we need to ensure that it succeeds."
The Association for the Aged in KwaZulu-Natal, said the abuse and neglect of the elderly was on the increase in the province. It recently tendered for and won a government tender to run awareness projects about the plight and abuse of the elderly.
Now gogo Sibiya has people who care for her
Mary Papaya
Mary Papaya
In September 65-year-old grandmother Mavis Sibiya was found living in a shipping container on the premises of Jacob's Men's Hostel in the south of Durban.
She had suffered a stroke and was semi-paralysed.
Abandoned and alone, she had no family to take care of her. She depended on the goodwill of complete strangers. By chance, a social worker in the area heard about her plight.
She was rescued and placed at John Dunne Home in Wentworth, Durban.
The home caters for 87 elderly men and women, many of whom have been abandoned and have no one to take care of them.
Like Sibiya, for many in the home it is the first time they have had a comfortable bed to sleep on and a proper meal to eat.
"I am grateful. I did not know that some people think we are important enough," Sibiya said.
Like many in her situation, Sibiya's story is one of pain and poverty. It is something the elderly people who have been unfortunate wish to escape from.
Recently, the home loans division at Absa Bank in Durban adopted John Dunne Home as an employee-community involvement project.
The project will see bank employees, with the help of a number of clients and business partners, renovate the old age home.
The employees have set themselves an ambitious target of raising R500000 for the renovations.
Stephanus Burger, regional manager for home loans in KwaZulu-Natal, said: "We have no doubt that we can reach this target, with a little help from our partners.
"The passion and the enthusiasm that our staff has shown is more than we need to ensure that it succeeds."
The Association for the Aged in KwaZulu-Natal, said the abuse and neglect of the elderly was on the increase in the province. It recently tendered for and won a government tender to run awareness projects about the plight and abuse of the elderly.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos