Carol Ofori sits down with the founder of Angels Care KZN
This Woman Crush Wednesday, Carol Ofori chats with Angels Care KZN founder, Carlin Mynhardt.
Carol Ofori's Woman Crush Wednesday is Carlin Mynhardt, the founder of Angels Care KZN.
Mynhardt, was born in Cape Town and moved to Pretoria with her family at the age of six.
She founded Angels Care KZN with her life partner, Janndre, in the hopes of helping those less fortunate than her.
Her story began in Pretoria. After marrying, she became a mother of two, but sadly, the couple divorced. A few years later, she remarried, but unfortunately, found herself in an abusive relationship.
This led to her fleeing to a care centre much like the one she runs today. Mynhardt lost her youngest son in an accident. However, her time at the care centre revealed a silver lining when she met her life partner, Janndre. Mynhardt and Janndre have been together for 26 years, and it was their shared passion for wanting to help people that brought them to KwaZulu-Natal.
Having experienced her own share of difficulties in life, Mynhardt was able to connect with other residents at the care centre on a more personal level. That, coupled with her willingness to learn the ins and outs of the care centre, drove her to open up a care facility on the South Coast of KZN.
Mynhardt describes herself as a determined, committed, compassionate, practical, patient and understanding soul who yearns to care for others going through similar hardships.
Along with her partner and her son, Mynhardt, found a dilapidated house in Paddock on the South Coast, which they refurbished, and it wasn't long before the residents flowed in. Mynhardt, her family and team stayed on the premises for nine years and then moved to a larger premises due to the influx of residents. Sadly, they faced many difficulties at this residence in Elysium (Ifafa).
Thanks to the generosity of a sponsor, they found their forever home in Sezela, 20 minutes away from Scottburgh.
It was here that they were able to fulfil the dream of providing a haven for their residents, who have faced numerous challenges in their lives.
Mynhardt and her team take pride in treating each resident with dignity and respect, regardless of their circumstances.
There are many misconceptions surrounding people who visit care centres. According to Angels Care KZN, the socio-economic backgrounds of their residents differ immensely. They receive people from homes of all socioeconomic backgrounds, including lawyers, architects, ex-policemen, ex-soldiers, missionaries, even a professor and a scientist have passed through their doors.
Listen to the full interview between Carol Ofori and Carlin Mynhardt below.
Like most places of refuge, Angels Care KZN faces challenges in ensuring that it has sufficient funding to provide for its residents. They are a registered non-profit organisation and house more than 60 residents.
Angels Care KZN aim to provide a non-judgmental, welcoming atmosphere and currently houses adults, the elderly, the disabled, the abused and the homeless members of society.
"We believe every human being is valuable and no one should be stigmatised because of their past or present situation. All of our residents are treated with compassion and respect," states the Angels Care KZN website.
If you would like to donate to Angels Care KZN, you can visit their website angelscarekzn.co.za
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