To all our dear friends, family, donors, funders, volunteers, supporters and those who continue to hold us in your prayers and thoughts – we hope that 2026 has been kind to all of you. At Philakade it has been a busy and extremely challenging year. Among our staff we have experienced a number of tragic losses of family in the last year and likewise have had to bid farewell to some of our precious residents but take comfort in the knowledge that they received care, comfort and love while they were with us. Thank you for all of you who have reached out and prayed for us over this time. We truly cannot keep going without you all.
HOPE
Lets begin with a story of hope that you may have seen on our social media. This is Xolani, who approached me a while ago to ask if we could share part of his story on our page. He told me that he had arrived at Philakade because his beloved wife and child were not able to look after him at home any longer. He said that on arrival at Philakade care home he was dependent on nappies, unable to feed himself or use a cell phone. Since being with us he is able to feed himself, call and message his loved ones and care for most of his own personal needs independently. When I asked him what his message to people was, he replied; ‘I want them to know that there is hope after disability’.
VISITORS: This year we have continued to welcome many wonderful visitors who bring joy (and sometimes chocolate) with them. On Easter we were treated to some good old fashioned easter eggs.
On Mandela Day we also received some visitors who not only served our residents lunch but spent precious time chatting and playing with them. (For the non-South Africans, we celebrate Mandela Day on 18 July, Mandela’ birthday, with the tradition to serve others in remembrance and honour of all he did for our country.) The onesie was optional attire:-)
A particularly exciting visit for us was a team of doctors, nurses and students from International Medical Relief who spent a day with us reviewing every single resident’s health and medication, doing dressing changes, handing out gifts and even fitting in a game of chess here and there. We continue to have regular visits from many other people and groups. Every single smiling face makes our corner of the world brighter.
TRAINING: In 2026 we have been fortunate enough to be able to train a bigger group of staff in some important skills such as first aid and fire safety. This means that there is at least one person on each shift trained in both skill sets and all those who drive for us have also been trained to keep everyone safe no matter where we go. We have also trained Sonto, Swelihle and Zanele to be our health and safety representatives. It is now their job to keep us up to scratch. Thuso who works in the garden is also now trained in safe snake removal and first aid for bites which is helpful as we move to the warm season.
LOOKING GOOD – UNIFORMS: In 2026 we were able to get some new uniforms for our staff. Besides looking fabulous this also means that when going on an outing or to a hospital with residents our staff are identifiable. It is definitely a help. Thank you to Rotary for raising the funds for this.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH: At Philakade our philosophy is that we do better when we care for others and so want to make a difference to the wider community we are in. This year we have continued to support the local soccer team Embo Warriors (who are now trying to build a girls’ team as well) and we have provided transport for the clinic to do mobile outreach days. On these days parents with little ones and those on chronic medication who find it hard to get to the clinic can come and get treatment much closer to home.
DAILY FUN AND GAMES: Of course, we also continue with our normal entertainment, activities and yes, work, at Philakade. Here are a selection of images showing our residents and staff in their day-to-day movements for you to enjoy.
