HOFMEYR Hugs of Hope, a non-government organisation which receives grants from the Ikahala Trust, was started on April 4, 2017, in a bid to get beggars off the streets and into a skills development plan.
Only at the end of 2017, did the manager of Hugs (as it is generally known in town), Teresa Opperman, attend a training session in Tar-kastad, called “The ABCD of Community Development”, presented by Bernie Dolley.
This sparked the development of a huge multicultural and multifaceted skills development centre in Hofmeyr.
So far, 600 people have benefited from the services delivered by this association.
A part-time social worker is in charge of counselling sessions to assist people with coping skills.
A qualified seamstress is in charge of the needlework room, where up to 12 women can sit and learn to sew at once.
The sewing machines, although not expensive, were acquired with the assistance of the Ikhala Trust.
The needlework room also received chairs, tables and all the necessary equipment by means of donations to the association.
A horse-riding academy, under the auspices of Thaleen Burger, JF Burger and Zettie Jordaan as the trainer, assists physically disabled people with exercises and horse riding to strengthen muscles.
Hofmeyr Hugs of Hope assists where requested and is always available to make the riders designer outfits for their participation in shows.
The system at Hugs ensures that the jobless receive the necessary training to be able to provide for themselves in the future, whether it is through carpentry, building, bricklaying, painting, wirework, fencing, needlework, crocheting, knitting, beading, art, card making, baking, cooking and catering, Educare and home-based care courses, as well as financial management, self-sufficient gardening, recycling, upcycling and marketing, which are just some of the skills offered.
During lockdown, Hugs managed to provide food to hungry families, with the assistance of many donors, because governmental institutions had failed to provide for these desperate families. A soup kitchen also offered warm meals on cold winter days.
