“My neighbours told me what you do here, it is so good”

An incredible morning in the heart of Kwadabeka as the community gogo’s joined Meghan and Jani in an exercise programme. The MDT did not know what to expect at all. We were told that we could join and we put on our takkies and exercise pants and joined this great group. It was so much fun and so uplifting to see a group of community members coming together to improve their health thanks to the guidance of the rehab team. Making such a difference to the lives of these people. It was a beautiful sight to see, everyone in unison-just as a community should be. Shouts of motivation coming from one another to spur each other on, laughing and giggling as people became tired and they all felt each other’s pain yet joy at the same time. I looked around at this sight, and felt joy in my heart. I also had the privilegeof speaking to one of the local gogo’s as we walked together with her walking stick. She said “My neighbours told me what you do here, it is so good”. It was just so great to hear that her neighbours were talking about it, that the rehab team were becoming known in the community. Having word of mouth recognition of people that are on their doorstep to help them is so uplifting. I think that’s a huge part of community, gaining the trust of the community and making yourself known in a positive light in the community. I cannot wait for the next exercise group! Not only was this a great day for the OT students but again, allowed an opportunity for team building for the MDT. We started having some issues with regards to transport, and OT’s always being on time but waiting for up to 30 minutes for the speeches, this was becoming frustrating but we handled it well and asked if we could come to an agreed time that would suit everyone. This allowed for our frustrations to be alleviated, for peace to be kept and for compromise to take place.