02/06/2026
🌿 THE ELDERS VOICE KZN FIRST DIGITAL NEWSLETTER 🌿
JUNE 2026
Many people see the smiling faces, the warm meals, the comfortable beds, and the activities our residents enjoy each day.
What they don’t always see are the emergency hospital runs, the plumbing disasters, the broken vehicles, the endless maintenance projects, the fundraising challenges, and the dedicated people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our elderly receive the care, dignity, and love they deserve.
This month we wanted to share a glimpse behind the scenes of life at The Elders Voice KZN.
❤️ PENNINGTON 1
We begin by sending our love and best wishes to our beloved House Mother, Sharon, who recently underwent successful thoracic back surgery. We wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming her back once she has fully healed.
A huge thank you goes to Janine, who has stepped in so willingly during her mother’s recovery. We are also incredibly grateful to every staff member who has taken on extra responsibilities to ensure our residents continue receiving exceptional care.
Exciting news at Pennington 1 is the opening of our Phase 3 expansion, creating space for an additional 12 residents.
A special mention must go to Lucia, who transformed donated old duvets into beautiful curtains for the new section. Her creativity reminds us that kindness and resourcefulness can create something truly beautiful.
Meanwhile, Willem and the maintenance team have been hard at work constructing a new dining hall, completing repairs, painting, and ensuring everything is ready for our growing family.
❤️ PENNINGTON 2
Safety and security have been major priorities this month.
Following ongoing issues with vagrants accessing the rear of the property and setting snares that endangered local wildlife, fencing has been extended and reinforced. All snares were removed and preventative measures put in place.
The team has also installed new washing lines, continued roof painting projects, and purchased 12 new fire extinguishers to maintain safety compliance.
One of our greatest privileges this month was welcoming a remarkable new resident who is 104 years young. What an honour it is to care for someone who has witnessed over a century of life.
Unfortunately, our faithful old bakkie continues to test Willem’s patience with constant breakdowns. Replacing this vehicle is rapidly becoming one of our greatest operational needs.
❤️ UMBILO
Umbilo continues to find its feet, and we are delighted to welcome Nurse Lizzy to the team.
Rosalyn remains the heart and soul of the home, carrying an enormous workload while ensuring every resident receives loving care and attention.
We continue searching for someone very special to join her team — someone with compassion, patience, resilience, and a genuine love for the elderly.
Current projects include improving bathroom safety and constructing a secure gas bottle enclosure.
One of Umbilo’s most urgent needs remains a CCTV camera system to improve safety and security.
❤️ RIVERSIDE
There has been no shortage of activity at Riverside.
Pastor John and his congregation have been hard at work improving church facilities, while ongoing repairs continue to address plumbing challenges caused by previous flood damage.
A very special thank you goes to Fiona, who has undertaken countless Amanzimtoti Hospital runs for our residents. Her dedication is extraordinary, and we would love to find additional volunteers in the area to help share the load.
One of the highlights of the month was receiving four pallets of donated aloe water. Our gentlemen residents eagerly rolled up their sleeves and helped unload and distribute the donation across our homes. Watching everyone work together was a wonderful reminder that purpose and community have no age limit.
Peter and Dana have also been busy creating beautiful handcrafted bags for our upcoming August market.
❤️ HEATHER ROAD
This month every resident room received a fresh coat of paint, creating brighter, cleaner, and more welcoming living spaces.
Current challenges include a failing pool pump and motor, along with the removal of a large amount of garden rubble and waste. If anyone has access to a truck or removal services and would like to assist, we would love to hear from you.
🌿 OUR CURRENT NEEDS 🌿
Across all our homes we are currently appealing for:
• Duplo and large Lego blocks
• Paint and varnish
• CCTV camera systems
• Solar panels (including second-hand systems)
• Building and maintenance materials
• Professional services
• Volunteers
• A reliable replacement bakkie
Every donation, every volunteer hour, every share, and every act of kindness makes a difference.
❤️ A FINAL WORD
One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that our homes have somehow been “given” to us.
The reality is that every property comes with rental or deed and ongoing expenses — food, utilities, staff salaries, maintenance, transport, medical support, compliance requirements, repairs, and countless unexpected emergencies.
Our elderly deserve safe, loving, dignified homes, and maintaining those homes takes an entire community.
The Elders Voice KZN has been built on compassion, determination, resourcefulness, and people who simply refuse to give up on our elderly.
Thank you to every supporter, volunteer, donor, family member, and friend who walks this journey with us.
Together we are proving that growing old should never mean being forgotten.
With gratitude,
🌿 The Elders Voice KZN Team 🌿
