On 16 September, I was invited to the Mzamomhle Multi-Purpose Centre in Khayelitsha to attend the Ilizwi Labadala meeting. Ilizwi Labadala is Xhosa for The Voice of the Elders and is a forum for senior sector staff and members of Ikamva Labantu senior clubs to come together and discuss issues facing the Senior Sector and Older Persons in general.

As we all filtered into the meeting, everyone was greeting each other and singing. I just love listening to the songs they sing. Granted, I do not know all the Xhosa words, but the spirit of the songs is never lost on me. It was obvious that I was a visitor at the meeting, and everyone made it their business to look me in the eyes, shake my hand and say good morning to me personally. Coffee, tea and sandwiches were handed out. Mzamomhle is actually an active senior club, so the group of about 20 seniors sat on the perimeter of the meeting socializing with one another, eating, singing and listening to the meeting.

I was lucky enough to sit next to Nontobeko, a club assistant who offered to translate for me.

Each senior club had at least two members of their executive committee as well as their club assistant in attendance to represent their interests. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and the forum began. Potential dates for upcoming events were discussed such as Cultural Day and the end of the year outing. The dates of each were negotiated and decided upon by the forum to ensure that all seniors were able to attend and that they didn’t have too many events in one week.

The question of how to raise funds from within the sector was brought up. Several people had suggestions including having a charity choir event. This internal fundraising idea is something I have been absolutely fixated on since I first heard about it in the workshop. This should be the goal for all community development work: Empower community members and increase their capacity to a point where they can raise their own funds and sustain themselves. I have been thinking about it and thinking about it…hoping to come up with a great fundraising ideas that the seniors could do for themselves that capitalizes on their own skills and talents.

Side note: As I was writing this post in our Woodstock office, I noticed Senior Sector coordinator Phumla labelling bags filled with beaded jewlery in the office. She told me that the beaded jewlery was made by the seniors in several senior clubs and they are now being sold to raise funds for the programme. I just had to buy this gorgeous lime green beaded bracelet that I decided to turn into an ankle bracelet, much to everyone’s amusement! This is just one great example of this fundraising idea, and I hope to come up with even bigger ones.

The Health and Nutrition manager Lulama Singasana discussed the use of vouchers rather than cash for the seniors to buy their food. Her fluency in Xhosa is a wonderful asset for Ikamva Labantu. This was the most contentious of the issues discussed. Seniors, club assistants and Ilizwi Labadala exec members all voiced their opinions in the nearly hour long discussion mediated by Lulama. Eventually, everyone came to the consensus that the voucher system was the most efficient and cost effective way to purchase their food and the decision was made.

Basically, what I took away from the meeting was that the seniors in our programme really do retain ownership over the sector. The importance of community ownership of programmes is something that has really been instilled in me by Founder and Honourary President Helen Lieberman. Also, I always have in the back of my mind the long-term goal of Ikamva Labantu, to create self-sustainable, independent community based organizations. When the senior clubs are able to increase their capacity to the point where they no longer need Ikamva Labantu, this forum will serve as the infrastructure necessary to govern their own programmes.