a day ago
Nina Manzi brings warmth and dignity to Cape Town's rough sleepers
The Wash Bus - Nina Manzi's Mobile Sanitation Facility - provides welcome relief for many at the Dignity Days.
Image: Ya'eesh Collins / IOL
Amidst the biting chill of the Mother City's icy winter, Nina Manzi – an organisation that provides vital services to the housing insecure – extended a hand of of warmth and solidarity to the community in Salt River, Cape Town; transforming a day of hardship into one for heartfelt gestures and collective responsibility.
Familiar faces and newcomers gathered at the Youth Solutions Foundation building, where individuals from all walks of life were eager to experience a day of much-needed pampering and support.
As Cape Town's soaring property prices have forced many community members onto the streets, it has left them with little to no access to sustainable sanitation. In response to this pressing need, Nina Manzi's mobile sanitation facilities are a beacon of hope.
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Attendees were treated to a nourishing breakfast, a warm shower, professional haircuts, essential health checks, and engaging conversations on empowering skills development.
The day was more than just about providing services; it was a powerful demonstration of community spirit.
Highlighting the critical importance of addressing one's basic needs and the restorative power of dignity for individuals facing housing insecurity in Cape Town, especially during the harsh winter months.
Attendees receiving health checks at the Nina Manzi Dignity Day.
Image: Ya'eesh Collins / IOL
Nina Manzi's Dignity Day offers the housing insecure an opportunity to make use of a number of their services, and participants are gifted a Dignity Pack once they have made use of at least three of the services on offer – a warm shower, a haircut, a health check, a nutritious meal, or participation in a skills development conversation.
The Dignity Packs consist of: shampoo,
body wash,
sanitary pads (packs for women),
wash cloths,
an underarm deodorant,
space blanket, and
toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Essential needs for an individual's journey towards sustainable wellness.
Nina Manzi Dignity Day in Salt River.
Image: Ya'eesh Collins / IOL
The act of 'earning' these packs through participaion in the day's offerings instills a sense of accomplishment, shifting the narrative from a handout-purposed drive to a deserved reward for engaging in self-improvement.
Now in its third year, Nina Manzi highlights the critical importance of recognising the everyday individual and their lived realities of experiencing life without a traditional house.
Nina Manzi's initiative, through its Dignity Days, emphasises practical and collective support, and this truly embodies the spirit of upliftment and hope.
Attendees expressed their ongoing drive for a life off the streets.
IOL
