From the news desk

Beitul Aman launches revamped male wing

Share this article

Through the continued support and assistance from a group called Friends of Beitul Aman, the Beitul Aman Home for the Aged (BUA) in Wynberg was able to open their new and improved male wing section on Saturday. To mark the milestone, the facility invited some guests to witness the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The home’s manager Nadhier Agherdien opened the ceremony, reflecting on the achievements and the struggle to revamp an entire male wing. The rooms areall partitioned by a strong wall where once residents were only provided the separation of a flimsy curtain. Each room, housing two residents provides more privacy for the residents.

“You must understand, some of our residents come from very difficult circumstances and having a room such as this is a major privilege. We want to make it as comfortable as possible for them and also provide the services of frail care, as that is what Beitul Amaan is – a frail care centre. Many people still assume we are a retirement village,” Agherdien said.

room4

The project included the replacement of the old curtained, partitioned, dormitory-styled living quarters with solid-wall rooms with sliding doors. The rooms which can house up to 36 male residents were furnished with new beds, mattresses, linen, storage cabinets and cupboards.

While the home itself could not afford the R300 000 needed for the revamp, the FBUA put their minds together and managed to generate the funds needed in a matter of months. However, Agherdien explained that still, the money was not able to cover all costs but thanks to the discounts from businesses, they were able to achieve their goal.

“What you seeing here is what we call a capital expense. We cannot budget for this. We need about R80 000 per month just to keep the lights on and see to the monthly salaries along with food and other necessities,” Agherdien said.

room 3

The facility also urged donors who are interested in making donations to contact the home first and determine what the need is at the time. This was to prevent wastage. The home has come under fire recently for stocking up on fresh produce and other perishable items, which often go wasted due to the short expiry date.

Representatives from the FBUA, with the help of Sheikh Abduraghmaan Alexander now plan on continuing their effort to revamp the facility. According to a FBUA member, Rushda Dawood, this project was something they had wanted to do for a very long time. They approached the community for help and through generous donors, were able to raise the R300 000.

“This is a great facility all it needs is a revamp. Residents here receive all the care they need. It is so easy for people to make accusations against the facility but we know for a fact that the work they do here is not easy and not anyone would want to do it. I challenge those individuals who has criticised the facility in recent days to come forward and offer up the help needed to improve all those claims they have made,” Dawood said.

The group came up with the concept “Rent a Room” where they are urging local families to collect at least R1000 from each working family member to see to the upkeep of a single room.

“In this way, we can ensure that the residents do not fall short of the comfort they so deserve. People can continuously check in on their respective rooms to see what it is that they need and save the money for that,” FBUA member, Farieda Rasdien explained.

While the tour had taken place, residents were treated to entertainment along with treats to celebrate. The female wing along with proper refrigeration rooms is next on the list for a fresh revamp. VOC (Ra’eesah Isaacs)


Share this article

1 comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

WhatsApp WhatsApp us
Wait a sec, saving restore vars.