Meals on Wheels

What a fabulous day I have had today, following the 1000 Hills Community Helpers Meals on Wheels initiative as they made one of their visits to the Sithumba area.  The meal of minced beef and veg, rice and beetroot is made in the kitchens at 1000 Hills Community Helpers and it is loaded onto the trailer.  The team join Patrick the driver in the pick up and I followed along behind in the backie with Modise who was to be my guide for the day!

 We headed out along Layby Road and continued as far as the hammerhead that is the full extent of the tarmac road and therefore the full extent of the available taxi routes.  Luckily we have good vehicles and so continued on the dirt track until we arrived at the Primary School.  No sooner did we draw up outside the gates than the children could be heard, their excited chatter as they caught the delicious aroma of the meat sauce on the air!  The team set up the servery and in no time there was a long line of children excitedly queueing up holding out their plates.  The meal was rice with beef mince and vegetables, a side of diced beetroot and a cup of squash. The children clearly enjoyed the novelty of being served from the trailer and they enthusiastically ate their lunches.  There is a kitchen at this school but this service supplements the school's food budget, as they do not need to cook on the day that the Meals on Wheels arrive.  Whilst the team were busy serving the long line of children, Modise, Elsie and I headed off on foot into the valley to visit some housebound patients and take them food and healthcare supplies (dressings, nappies and incontinence pads).
In total we visited six homes, of varying condition and facilities.  Our first stop was to a 74 year old lady "T" who had suffered a stroke which left her unable to move her left side.  She is being cared for by her daughter and her pension is the only household income.
The lady in the orange top has two children and is a single Mum, her youngest was at school when we visited but her daughter, who is 17 was asleep in the bed.  She was a healthy child until she was two years old but then she began to show symptoms that were thought to be related to epilepsy.  "N" is now completely bedridden and without a wheelchair her Mum is unable to get her out and about.  Next we met "S" an eleven year old girl who was born with her disabilities, her Mum passed away when she was a baby and she is now cared for by her Gogo. The love the Gogo has for her granddaughter is evident in this lovely photo, and her other granddaughter who attends the nearby secondary school (which is next to the Primary where we were running the lunch service) popped in to see her sister and Gogo in her lunch break.


 We headed back up the track and could see that the children had all now been fed and so we gathered up the remaining food parcels and healthcare supplies and Modise, Elsie and I got back in the backie and moved across to the other side of the district.

Here we met "O", he is a 98 year old man who has a large open sore on his right shin.  He lives with his family in a small settlement on the valley side and is cared for by his energetic, ebullient 65 year old wife.  She has learned how to clean and dress his wounds and her ministrations are paying off, as his wound is closing up and healing well, albeit slowly.  Her neighbour was visiting, which was fortunate as she was due to be our 5th "house call".  This lady is 55 years old and has gastric ulcers, she also has limited mobility due to swollen legs and she currently uses a branch as a stick, if she can get a walking stick she will have improved comfort and may be able to be more mobile.  The availability of medical equipment like walking frames, walking sticks and wheelchairs is limited but having these items could dramatically improve the quality of life for the frail members of this community.  Modise takes notes about every visit and photographs to help with the assessment of needs back at 1000 Hills Community Helpers.  He has a wonderful way with his patients and their families.  He listens to their needs and asks searching questions to ensure he fully understands the situation.  He is patient, empathetic and thorough.  Our final stop was with this 77 year old lady.  She has balance difficulties and slow reactions so if she looses balance and falls she is likely to go down face first as she cannot react quickly enough to put out her hands to break her fall.  She is cared for in the day by her daughter and another family member, who works in the day, stays with her at night.

After all the house calls were completed we headed back to the 1000 Hills Community Helpers where I chatted for a while with Dawn, the Founder. She was able to give me very useful advice in respect of some of the challenges and strategies for charitable organisations and NPO's operating in South Africa.  Talking to the people who do this day in day out is invaluable for developing a deep understanding of the situation and for gaining advice and ideas of ways of working that will be most effective for the long term. 

I was sorry to say goodbye to Dawn and the team at 1000 Hills Community Helpers for this trip.  They have shown me immense kindness, patience with my questions and given of willingly of their time and experience.  I look forward to seeing them all again on my next visit.

A couple of amusing aspects to the day - firstly the football team made up entirely of cows....

 and secondly, my relief that I am not the only one with an inexplicable phobia of small creatures (those of you who know me, know it's frogs for me) when Elsie, the Community Care Giver whose round we shared today, stopped stock still on the path and would not pass this little fella...

Can you spot him????