Today marks a significant milestone for the foundation, feeding 550 people, the elderly at Beitul Aman and the Vrygrond community. Just over three and a half months since starting the organisation we have managed to feed 5,510 people to date.
We would like to take the opportunity to Thank the Almighty for giving us the strength, all those that has contributed their time to support, the sponsors and our communities for gifting us with the opportunity to support them.
Beit-ul-Aman Old Age Home is a facility that cares for the impoverished aged and the frail. The facility is located in Mars Road, Wynberg since its establishment in 1967.
At Beit-ul-Aman, we appreciate the contribution that these elderly individuals made to our communities while they were young. The organisation strives to ensure that the twilight stages of their lives are lived with pride, comfort and dignity. The institution can accommodate up to 72 people, making a difference to 72 individuals by providing personal care, compassion and support.
A wise man once said, respect your elders, learn from those that has walked the earth before you and respect them because someday we will too grow old. We would like to thank Tasneem for the hardwork and for her assistance in this feeding initiative.
Capricorn, known by some residents as Vrygrond, is reputedly the oldest informal settlement in the Western Cape. Vrygrond simply means “Free Ground”, and comes from the legend that the land was given to the community by a wealthy Italian aristocrat who owned the area. Capricorn was originally created by Trek fishermen who erected informal houses near the beach to assist their work; the settlement is located near Muizenberg on the False Bay coast about 20 kilometres from Central Cape Town. Currently, the population is roughly half coloured, who mostly speak Afrikaans and English, and half black, who speak Xhosa. There has never been an accurate census, but the local Council assessed that there are around 8000 people, though it is likely that the figure is much higher.
The people of Capricorn have certainly had a difficult recent history; the land on which the settlement is built belonged to the Council, and so residents had no official right to live there. Under the apartheid government they were ejected, with many being forcibly sent back to other parts of South Africa. Others left because of the continual harassment, but a core managed to remain throughout this time. Shacks demolished by the authorities during the day were surreptitiously re-built at night, and the community managed to increase in number as the old governments gradually stopped implementing its policies. The community also had to deal with the effects of poverty, which is an issue still facing them today. We would like to thank Mymoena and Kyle for the opportunity to support this community.
Falaah Foundation 