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Love works at the Pink
House
Article in the Echo
Community Newspaper April 13, 2006
By: Michelle Saffer
Take a group of health
practitioners who love their work. Add in a wish to give and
receive and the result is a “Work for Love”, a scheme that joins
hands across formerly separated communities.
Masiphumelele and health
practitioners linked to Imhoff Waldorf school are linked in an
interesting scheme in which practitioners do what they love, for
free. They learn from those they help and in return, those they
help will help others.
At the Pink House every
Tuesday morning you can see a wide range of health
practitioners. There’s a midwife, physiotherapist, homoeopaths,
massage therapists, reflexologists, shiatsu, Chinese medicine
and reiki practitioners, those who offer relaxation or fitness
classes … The list goes on. Other contributors are welcomed,
such as those who have already joined, providing music and
nutritious food.
The practitioners believe
they will gain and learn as much as the people being treated.
And in turn, those being treated are expected, after four
treatments, to help spread the wellness in a voluntary way. This
could be at the Wellness Morning, massaging the shoulders of
someone waiting for treatment, making a cup of tea, or in the
community, doing babysitting, for example.
“The Wellness Mornings belong
to the people waiting as much as to the therapists,” said
midwife Robyn Sheldon.
This is reflected in the Work
for Love mission statement: “By volunteering to join the
Wellness Morning team, each volunteer practitioner already
accepts the gift of involvement in Masiphumelele.
“Each participant will
inevitably receive greater insight about integration and the
meaning of ‘rainbow nation’. As such, Wellness Morning is a
conscious bid to encourage genuine love of the diversity that is
both our national identity and our great challenge.”
The idea began with Nicola
Nangle, a physiotherapist and parent at Imhoff Waldorf school.
In December Work for Love began a creche support programme in
Masiphumelele and it also supports a poetry and publishing
project at Ukhanyo Primary School.
It has its roots in the
philosophy underlying the Waldorf schools. Although most of the
therapists are parents of children of the school, this is not an
essential requirement and any therapists interested in joining
the programme are welcome to apply.
The Wellness Mornings have
been going for a little over two months and their popularity is
growing. Tarot card readings in particular are in great demand.
Vuyiswa Caine, who is trained
in relaxation techniques and also is one of the four
translators, said that the mornings were rapidly becoming a
place for the community to de-stress.
“In the beginning there were
mostly women coming, but now men are coming. A lot come for
stress release. Most come by word of mouth and are very
impressed with the work. We get people coming in, just to enjoy
it, just to see what’s happening.”
She stressed that the
mornings were not for sick people only.
Therapists taking part in the
scheme have made a commitment to volunteering in a regular time
slot for six months. After the six months, the project will be
re-assessed. Already, practitioners are seeing needs in the
community that need to be addressed in a different way.
“It’s a such a massive
challenge for us,” said homoeopath Rebecca Sturgeon. “There is so
much to be done it’s difficult to know where to start.”
Not unexpectedly, the therapists have found they have gained as
much as those they treat.
“I feel so much better
driving into Masiphumelele on Tuesdays instead of straight
past,” said massage therapist Jenny Bovim.
If you would like to participate, donate massage tables or would like more information, phone Nicola on 072 682 7792 |
