Members of Lubambo LukaSomandla organisation celebrated the Heritage Day in style on Saturday 24 September as they converged at Khumbuza Crescent in Makhaza, in a special gathering where they empowered each other about financial issues and mental health.
Lubambo is a non-governmental organisation for women whose mission is to empower other women on various subjects. The organisation was established in May this year.
Among the guest speakers was Dr Nyameka Dunjana and Simvuyele Nkambula who is a financial advisor at a leading finance and insurance institution.
Event organiser Nontle Mandla described the event as part of empowering and educating women about how to save their finances and their well-being. She said the organisation comprises women from different sectors of business in the metro.
“We are women who are passionate about our health and life in general. We invited our guests to educate us about how we can handle our finances. Because we noticed that in most cases we find ourselves in debts because of mismanagement of funds which lead us to depression and other relevant illnesses,” explained Mandla.
She said the main objective of the organisation is to assist each in whatever challenges that they are facing.
“If someone lost a member of the family we assist on the funeral arrangements. Or if she is in debt we clear it or assist in any kind of an event or ceremony that someone has,” she said.
Mandla stated that their aim is to free them of debts and relieve them of stress.
Dr Dunjana said was educating them about the mental health that is caused by the financial problems. She stated that mental problems can affect anyone.
“Since they have financial organisation many of them suffer a lot of mental illness because some of them misused the funds which leads them to having depression, anxiety,bipolar and other illnesses. And the big mistake that people make is when they have these illnesses they go to general doctors instead of specialist practitioners. There are psychologist, social workers, psychiatrists etc who can assist them,”she said.
Dunjana said some people can end-up committing suicide, promiscuous, prostitute, become homeless person because of mental illness. She advised people to speak out and share their problems to the person that they trust.