JEFFREYS BAY – The Abancedi Community Development Centre hosted its third annual Christmas dinner for senior citizens on 15 November in Ocean View, Jeffreys Bay.
The event, specifically for people older than 55, was organised by the centre, which is dedicated to alleviating poverty in the informal settlement of Ebumnyameni in Ocean View.
Pastor Sakhekile Mbili, the founder of Abancedi Community Development Centre, said the annual event was inspired by a calling to appreciate senior citizens of the community.
“We have to show our appreciation to seniors because they are living among us and we receive guidance and wisdom from them,” said Mbili.
He also said that the initiative was born out of concern for how seniors were being treated by their families.
“I noticed that the children and grandchildren no longer take care of their older family members. They often leave them home alone,” said Mbili.
As a result of their circumstances, he said that many seniors are waiting for their time on Earth to pass.
To pamper the seniors and make them feel special, Mbili said that they used whatever they had to host a successful dinner.
“We wanted to use the opportunity to thank the seniors of the community and encourage them,” said Mbili.
He said that he hopes to expand the initiative throughout the Kouga region, but said he would need assistance to do so.
“I’m trying to host this event throughout the Kouga region, not only in Ebumnyameni, but I would need assistance to expand it.
“I therefore want to encourage the municipality to take care of the seniors because we’ve been raised by them and there’s a lot that we can gain from them,” said Mbili.
While the annual Christmas dinner is a good initiative, he believes more should be done throughout the year.
In addition to expanding the Christmas dinner initiative throughout Kouga, Mbili hopes to host various activities for seniors throughout the year as well.
“I noticed that at the Christmas dinner event, the seniors loved what we did for them. We hope to host more events for them next year,” said Mbili.
Guided by both religious and constitutional principles, he said that he wants to help the community live a peaceful life.
“The Bible instructs people to pray for our leaders so that we can all live a peaceful life. This is, therefore, a project that God has placed on my heart. The South African Constitution also encourages the support of vulnerable people, including seniors, widows, orphans and vulnerable children,” said Mbili.
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