Let’s take hands and help mournful people

Rudi Bowe

Let’s take hands and help mournful people is a platform for people that lost a loved one due to the Covid-19 pandemic or any other illness.

With no help coming, and mournful people are left alone to struggle on their own and with broken hearts Ms Lovina Plato who is still grieving the death of her husband Chandler Plato herself, who died one year ago on 20 July 2020 as a result of Covid-19 saw it fit to establish this platform where grieving families can go to and share their emotions and get help.
Ms Plato said the establishment of a platform like this is vital to help mournful persons as most of the people that have lost a loved one do not have a medical aid or money for a private psychiatrists for counselling and the psychiatrists employed at the State and Private hospitals do not have enough time to help grieving families as they have their hands full with Covid-19 patients.
Ms Plato explained, “After my husband’s death I realised that there are not really people who can help me and my boys who lost a father, through our grieving process. We received help from a psychiatrists in South Africa via Zoom, but it was not enough as we need more help”.
“It is not only the father, mother, children, brothers, sisters and grand-children that are grieving, it is also friends and colleagues.”
Ms Plato said: “We will meet every Saturday from 10:00 for about two hours at the St Saviours Anglican Church Hall in Narraville. People of Swakopmund that would like to join can do so and if there are a person or persons in Swakopmund or in the whole country that would like to start with a similar project please do so as there are people all over the country that are mournful and need help.
“There are a few social workers that are willing to help where their help is needed and if there is community members with counselling experience that would like to help for free can also come on board and help” she said.
Ms Plato said if people that do not want to join the open discussions at the church hall can contact her via face-book messenger or whatsapp to see if we can arrange a one on one with a social worker.
Ms Plato can be contacted at 081 126 9165 any time after 17:00 or via her face-book page.
In the meantime, the Plato family donated face shields and masks to His House Frail Care Centre in Walvis Bay.
Ms Plato said that donating the shield and mask to the centre is her and her two sons Aurelio and Chad’s way to give back to the community in the harbour town.

Ms Ina Jones from the His House Frail Care Centre said, “It’s a very difficult time for us. We are a non-profit organisation and thus the income we receive just covers the basics. We don’t have anything extra for something as simple as masks.”
Ms Jones said that her staff had to deal with five Covid-19 patients and as the patients had to stay in a separate room, they need to wear protective clothing for each of the about two to five visit per patient.
After each visit the protective suit gets thrown away. It more than N$1 000 spent in just a few minutes.
“Hydroweld Walvis Bay recently donated protective suits and now we received masks and shields which will be of great help us. Luckily, for now, we do not have any Covid-19 patients” Ms Jones concluded.
Ms Jones thanked the Plato Family.