The resort team, led by manager, Marianne Fourie, is handing over old linen to some underprivileged residents at a nearby township. We do this every three years and it is also part of our recycling initiatives.

“We speak to the chiefs of the five villages in the area and we ask them to identify those who need the items the most. We then invite them to the resort, do the handover and serve them soft drinks,” Marianne said. “The first time we did this it was such a huge success that the handover didn’t even finish yet and we are already getting calls to thank us and to say this is a first in Bilene!” They will also be handing over a donated wheelchair to a disabled resident from Macia, and Marianne tells the story of how she met him.

“I met this guy in Macia who can’t walk at all,” Marianne said. “He sits on his bum and pushes himself forward with his hands. As I sat waiting in the car, I saw people were making fun of him, some youngsters passing by made cruel jokes and laughed at him.

“He was so frustrated that he threw handfuls of sand at them. This when I got out the car and pushed money into his hand. The look in his eyes and the broken “thank you” broke my heart and I decided to take this further. I have a wheelchair here at the resort that was given to me by a friend and I am going to hand it over to him,” Marianne said. “I am also going to visit him at home to find out if there was anything he really needs and to see what we can do to assist him further.

And we are sure the man will be happy about getting off the ground and hopefully being able to get around easier! Thank you Marianne, for your thoughtfulness and generosity!