Cape Town - A party was held in honour of Women’s Day to show appreciation for the important work done by the Dental Wellness Foundation’s (DWF’s) women in Khayelitsha and Mfuleni, who feed children, promote oral health and implement sustainable gardening systems.
Supporters from the Sea Point Rotary Club, Rotary Waterfront, Social Development Western Cape, Optismile, Ivodent, UWC Dentistry, SA Harvest and others gathered to celebrate the meaningful work done by the women of the DWF.
DWF co-chairperson Karen Tollman said they wanted to show their gratitude towards these incredible women who worked tirelessly not only to teach the children in their communities about oral health and hygiene, but also to provide them with nutritious meals every day through their sustainable gardens.
Tollman said these women ran soup kitchens from their homes and had been able to feed more than 1 000 children in their communities every day since April last year, when Covid-19 struck and the country went into its first lockdown.
Sustainable Gardens head Robyn Zinman said it was important for everyone, particularly children, to eat healthily in order to sustain healthy teeth and healthy bodies.
“Fresh, healthy and nutritional food is not easy to come by in some communities, which means that many people and children end up eating a lot of carbohydrates and sugar, which is not good for teeth and bodies. Thus, we teach people how to grow and maintain sustainable gardens,” said Zinman.
“By promoting these sustainable gardens, we are empowering women to be self-sustainable. They are self-sustainable in teaching oral care, in teaching from a nutritious point of view and through growing sustainable gardens,” said DWF co-chairperson Rebecca Bryer.
Eugena Vetezo, who works in Khayelitsha Town 2 for the DWF, said on Monday was a special Women’s Day because it a meant a lot to be acknowledged for the work she did.
DWF founder Dr Linda Greenwall said: “We need to acknowledge all that women contribute towards society and the importance of the work they do in their communities.”
To continue caring, feeding and teaching the communities within South Africa, the DWF appealed to the public to contribute towards their mission and encouraged all those interested to contact Tollman on karentoll@icloud.com or on the foundation’s website.
kristin.engel@inl.co.za