For 82-year-old Carol Fouché of Velddrif, caring did not end when she retired as a theatre sister. Every day, she and her rescue dog, Lucy, walk the streets collecting litter, proving that small acts of kindness can make a difference.
Each morning, Carol heads out with Lucy, who happily sniffs every tree and greets familiar faces while Carol quietly fills bags with litter discarded along their route.
“I was born with a passion to care for people,” she says. “Nursing was always the career I wanted because it allowed me to do exactly that.”
Carol grew up in Hogsback in the Eastern Cape before studying at the Port Elizabeth Nursing College. She later specialised in midwifery at Addington Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal and completed theatre nursing science in Vereeniging.
After more than four decades of nursing, retirement gave her more time to volunteer at the SPCA in George, where she walked rescue dogs and became aware of the number of abandoned animals needing homes.
After losing her elderly dog, Georgie, she adopted Lucy.
“She had been found wandering in an industrial area. Her coat was long and badly tangled, but when I looked into those brown eyes, I knew she was coming home with me.”
Four years later, Lucy has become Carol’s constant companion and the reason many Velddrif residents know her simply as Ouma Carol.
Their daily walks take them along familiar streets, through local parks, and Carol rarely passes litter without stopping to pick it up.
“I can’t stand seeing rubbish lying everywhere. Some people seem to think it’s acceptable because someone else gets paid to clean it up.”
Instead of complaining, she fills another bag and drops it into the nearest bin.
Along the way, she has built friendships with municipal workers, residents and fellow walkers. “I always stop for a quick chat. Kindness costs nothing, and sometimes a smile or friendly conversation can change someone’s day.”
Carol believes protecting the environment starts with personal responsibility. “We have enough rubbish bins, but people still throw litter on the ground. Sometimes I even find garden refuse dumped in public spaces.”
She hopes environmental awareness will become part of school community projects. “Children must learn that looking after their community is everyone’s responsibility.”
Although she knows one person cannot solve the litter problem alone, she believes every effort counts. “I know the little I do makes a difference because the bags I collect are always full.”
Her Christian faith continues to guide her life. “Jesus said we must give all our worries to Him. I do that, and it helps me live a happy life.”
Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, retired theatre sister and animal lover, Carol continues to care for her community, one walk, one bag of litter and one act of kindness at a time.
