Patricia Fakema, 65, of Dunoon, is a source of hope to the hundreds of needy people she feeds each week in her community.
Ms Fakema is the founder of the Zusakhe Early Childhood Development Centre in Waxberry Street, which has been around since 2006.
She says she has been not only a teacher but a mother to the many children who attend her creche.
She started with 25 children at the school and now cares for and feeds nearly 80 for “as little as their parents can afford”.
With the help of seven teachers and two cooks, Ms Fakema, provides a meal for the children and a parcel of food for them to take home so that they can have something to eat over weekends.
With the help of the Ladles of Love charity, Ms Fakema also feeds nearly 500 residents on various days of the week. She prioritises the elderly who need to take medication and cannot do so on an empty stomach.
The food parcels of samp, beans, rice and vegetables are distributed on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm from the creche gates.
Ms Fakema became an Aids activist, counselling people with HIV/Aids, after her daughter died from the disease as a teenager (“NGO tirelessly fights scourge of disease,” Tabletalk, 2015), and she says she tells her story of how she overcame grief to those who come for food to offer them a “beacon of hope”.
She says she also encourages those in need to take advantage of any free training programmes or learning opportunities.
“I am always keeping my eyes and ears open for the people of Dunoon, and I hope to lead them in the right direction.”
She says her family and friends have told her to retire, but she feels her community needs her and she wants to continue helping it while she is still fit enough to do so.
Ladles of Love founder Danny Diliberto says people often start creches after seeing the plight of children in their communities and that is why he decided to help Ms Fakema.
Call Ms Fameka at 076 894 4458 if you would like to help.
