By Ragheema Mclean
As part of the Voice of the Cape (VOC) community outreach initiative for August, VOC has collaborated a with few organizations to host a Wellness Day aimed at assisting hundreds of individuals who are unable to afford basic medical services.
On Saturday, 17 August, the Goodwood Islamic Society Wellness Centre and Things on Wheels will join VOC at Masjidus Sabr in Parkwood to provide various medical services to those in need.
The event will also be broadcast live across the VOC airwaves from 1PM to 4PM.
Launching the event on VOC Breakfast on Friday, Station Manager Goolam Fakier shared the inspiration behind this collaboration
“The Goodwood Islamic Society Wellness Centre has been running this amazing initiative where they host a wellness day every quarter. We thought, why don’t we team up? We reached out, and they told us their next project is on the 17th of August.”
Meanwhile, Sheikh Ebrahim Tofa, Imam of Quloobul Moemineen Masjid Goodwood, expressed his gratitude for the partnership and highlighted the ongoing community service initiatives.
“Alhamdulillah [All praise is due to God], by the grace of Allah (SWT), the Goodwood Islamic Society has been operating various projects that serve the community, as that is the purpose of the Masjid. One of our initiatives is the wellness centre. Our wellness programmes date back to 2009. We started with a GP practice, then added dental services, and have since expanded. We now hold outreach days two to three times a year.”
“We are partnering with VOC and will be out in Parkwood at Masjidus Sabr on the 17th of August. We want the community of Parkwood to come out in their numbers, and we call on anyone to contribute to the wellness day.”
In addition to the wellness day, VOC has partnered with the local NPO, Things on Wheels, which has been running a blanket drive throughout winter.
Fakier added, “For the winter period, Things on Wheels has been running a blanket drive, and we said, why don’t we continue this effort and extend it to the community of Parkwood?”
A representative of Things on Wheels, Baheesha Solomon, urged the community to support the blanket drive:
“Parkwood has a large underprivileged population. With winter here, the more blankets we get, the more we can hand out to the community. Each blanket costs R100 – you can deposit it directly into our bank account or drop off donations at the VOC studios.”
Solomon said they are hoped to donate at least 500 blankets to residents of the Parkwood community.
“We are hoping that people can open their hearts and support this cause. Even if you cannot donate R100, any amount helps.”
“The upcoming VOC Wellness Day and blanket drive are prime examples of community organizations coming together to provide essential services and support to those in need.”
For more information on how to participate or contribute, listeners can call into the VOC studio on 021 442 3500.
VOC News
Photo: VOCfm
