Seniors from Noluthando 1 Senior Club in Gugulethu spend their time threading thousands of beaded bracelets for worthwhile causes. Their livelihoods depend on making beads and most of them are sole breadwinners at their homes.
As part of Mandela Day, the Relate Trust, a non-profit organisation, helped conduct eyesight tests for the elders and handed over spectacles as part of their Rite to Sight initiative.
In honouring Struggle icon Nelson Mandela, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday, the trust focused on his spirit of giving back to the community.
Relate Trust has launched a Mandela Centenary Campaign and is partnering with individuals and businesses as part of their vision to raise R100million to help address unemployment and illiteracy.
Proceeds from the sale of each bracelet go directly towards employing more people to make the bracelets and to the Nelson Mandela Library Project for the creation and implementation of container libraries in underprivileged schools.
Rite to Sight Initiative co-ordinator Kingsley Holgate said: “The seniors’ work goes far beyond just a personal benefit. Through beading bracelets, they have helped fund hundreds of causes and impacted thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people not to mention the families and communities they support. The work that they do with Relate shows the power of a successful social enterprise model.”
Relate Trust chief executive, Neil Robinson, said: “These seniors do incredible work for Relate and for the many charities these bracelets fund.
Relate Trust has launched a Mandela Centenary Campaign and is partnering with individuals and businesses as part of their vision to raise R100 million to help address unemployment and illiteracy. Video: Sandiso Phaliso
“Many of them support their children and grandchildren with the money they earn from threading beads. This work supplements their pensions and enables them to further empower themselves and their communities.
“More than ever, we want them to know how special and important they are. Their generosity and hard work embody the spirit of Madiba, who we are also honouring today and will continue to do so for the next year.”
Noluthando 1 Senior Club chairperson Eunice Ngxazisa said there was no better way to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day than club members receiving spectacles.
“The spirit of giving lives on. We are grateful for the support. We all feel special,” she said.