
WATCH: Foundation donates reusable diapers
The Westmead-based Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation had an outreach programme on May 26, which entailed its volunteers, who have been learning sewing as a skill at its centre, donating the diapers to elderly persons in Newlands.
These volunteers had spent months creating the reusable adult diapers after a need was identified in communities where elderly individuals have limited access to proper facilities.
#highwaymail ♬ original sound – caxtonlocalmedia @caxtonlocalmedia Volunteers from the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation in Westmead are turning their sewing skills into acts of love ❤️, creating reusable adult diapers for elderly community members in need. These aren't just diapers, they're hand-sewn with dignity, compassion, and care 🙌🏽. Each one represents hours of work, heartfelt dedication, and a commitment to restoring comfort and hope to the elderly and their caregivers. #caxtondurban
The hand-sewn adult fabric diapers were made during weekly sewing classes held at the Tzu Chi centre.
The foundation's Kerry Ann Richardson said this programme is a reflection of how care, creativity, and community spirit can combine to meet a pressing need.
'These reusable cotton diapers, breathable and thoughtfully designed, were created specifically for elderly or bedridden individuals who often struggle with limited mobility and access to hygiene products.
'Each diaper comes with removable cotton linings – washable, soft, and sustainable – providing a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution for recipients and caregivers. More than just a practical item, each one represents hours of dedication, intention, and love sewn into every seam by volunteers who believe deeply in the dignity of every human being,' said Richardson.
The foundation's first visit on the day was at a home of a man living with a disability in Newlands East.
'Despite his limited mobility and speech difficulties, his expression visibly brightened as we entered the home singing, bringing with us a bag of rice, blessing cards, and adult diapers. In a touching moment, he selflessly requested that the supplies be given instead to his elderly mother, who was bedridden in the next room,' said Richardson.
Also read: Meet your local home care specialist
She said upon visiting the mother, it was learnt that she is an octogenarian who is cared for by a granddaughter.
'These home visits aim to provide more than material support; they offer connection, compassion, and dignity through simple acts like feeding a patient, helping with hygiene, or offering a moment of company,' said Richardson.
The foundation then visited another home in Newlands where a son is the sole caregiver for his mother and two aunts – one of whom has Down Syndrome.
'His mother, bedridden following a stroke, requires fulltime care. The living area had been converted into a sleeping space with two beds and minimal room to move, highlighting the urgent need for supplies like diapers. In homes like these, it becomes clear that our presence alone – a visit, a conversation, a moment of attention – can offer a powerful sense of hope and recognition,' said Richardson.
For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Click to subscribe to our newsletter here
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
4 dead, 30 missing after ferry sinks on way to Indonesia's Bali
IOL This handout photo taken and released on July 3, 2025 by Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) shows a rescue team moving a victim's body brought to shore earlier by local fishermen after a ferry sank on its way to the resort island of Bali, in Banyuwangi, East Java. Picture: AFP At least four people have died and dozens are unaccounted for on Thursday after a ferry sank in rough seas on its way to the Indonesian resort island of Bali. According to rescue authorities, 31 survivors had been plucked from the water so far. Rescuers were racing to find 30 people still missing at sea after the vessel carrying 65 passengers and crew sank before midnight on Wednesday as it sailed to the popular holiday destination from Indonesia's main island, Java. "The ferry tilted and immediately sank," survivor Eka Toniansyah told reporters at a Bali hospital. "Most of the passengers were from Indonesia. I was with my father. My father is dead." Indonesia's national search and rescue agency chief, Mohammad Syafi told a news conference Thursday that 31 survivors had been found. "Four people died, so 30 people are still being searched for," he said, adding that the national agency sent a helicopter to help the effort. President Prabowo Subianto, who was on a trip to Saudi Arabia, ordered an immediate emergency response, cabinet secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in a statement Thursday, adding the cause of the accident was "bad weather". Java-based Surabaya search and rescue agency head Nanang Sigit, who had earlier put the total number of missing at 38, said efforts to reach the doomed vessel were initially hampered by adverse weather conditions. Waves as high as 2.5 metres (8 feet) with "strong winds and strong currents" had affected the rescue operation, he said, adding conditions have since improved. A rescue team of at least 54 personnel, including those from the navy and police, was dispatched along with inflatable rescue boats, he said, while a bigger vessel was later sent from Surabaya city to assist the search efforts. Following currents Nanang said rescuers would follow currents and expand the search area if there were still unaccounted-for people by the end of the day. "For today's search, we are still focusing on search above the water where initial victims were found," the Surabaya search and rescue chief said. The ferry's manifest showed 53 passengers and 12 crew members, he said, but rescuers were still assessing if there were more people onboard than the manifest showed. It is common in Indonesia for the actual number of passengers on a boat to differ from the manifest. Frequent accidents The ferry crossing from Ketapang port in Java's Banyuwangi regency to Bali's Gilimanuk port -- one of the busiest in Indonesia -- is around 5 kilometres (3 miles) as the crow flies and takes around one hour. It is often used by people crossing between the islands by car. Four of the known survivors saved themselves by using the ferry's lifeboat and were found in the water early Thursday, the Surabaya rescue agency said. It said the ferry was also transporting 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks. It was unclear if any foreigners were onboard when the ferry sank. Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of around 17,000 islands, in part due to lax safety standards and sometimes due to bad weather. In March, a boat carrying 16 people capsized in rough waters off Bali, killing an Australian woman and injuring at least one other person. A ferry carrying more than 800 people ran aground in shallow waters off East Nusa Tenggara province in 2022 and remained stuck for two days before being dislodged with no one hurt. And in 2018, more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world's deepest lakes on Sumatra island. AFP


eNCA
23-06-2025
- eNCA
Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro dies aged nearly 99
Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, renowned for his huge bronze spheres, died at the weekend, a day before his 99th birthday, his foundation said on Monday. Born in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna on June 23, 1926, Pomodoro began investigating solid geometric forms in the early 1960s. He created monumental spheres, cones, columns and cubes in polished bronze, whose perfectly smooth exteriors split open to reveal interiors that were corroded, torn or simply hollowed out. This "contrast between the smooth perfection of the geometric form and the chaotic complexity of the interior" became his trademark, the Milan-based foundation said on its website. Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said on X that Pomodoro, who died at his home in Milan on Sunday, had "sculpted Italy's soul". "The art world has lost one of its most influential, insightful and visionary voices," added foundation director Carlotta Montebello. AFP | MAXIMILIEN LAMY Pomodoro was one of Italy's most prominent contemporary artists. He won numerous awards and taught at Stanford University, Berkley and Mills College in the United States. His iconic works grace public spaces the world over -– at the Vatican in Rome, the United Nations and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Universal Exhibition in Shanghai and Trinity College Dublin.


The Citizen
15-06-2025
- The Citizen
WATCH: Foundation donates reusable diapers
A LOCAL foundation focused on upskilling individuals and making a difference in communities last week donated hand-sewn reusable diapers to the elderly. The Westmead-based Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation had an outreach programme on May 26, which entailed its volunteers, who have been learning sewing as a skill at its centre, donating the diapers to elderly persons in Newlands. These volunteers had spent months creating the reusable adult diapers after a need was identified in communities where elderly individuals have limited access to proper facilities. #highwaymail ♬ original sound – caxtonlocalmedia @caxtonlocalmedia Volunteers from the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation in Westmead are turning their sewing skills into acts of love ❤️, creating reusable adult diapers for elderly community members in need. These aren't just diapers, they're hand-sewn with dignity, compassion, and care 🙌🏽. Each one represents hours of work, heartfelt dedication, and a commitment to restoring comfort and hope to the elderly and their caregivers. #caxtondurban The hand-sewn adult fabric diapers were made during weekly sewing classes held at the Tzu Chi centre. The foundation's Kerry Ann Richardson said this programme is a reflection of how care, creativity, and community spirit can combine to meet a pressing need. 'These reusable cotton diapers, breathable and thoughtfully designed, were created specifically for elderly or bedridden individuals who often struggle with limited mobility and access to hygiene products. 'Each diaper comes with removable cotton linings – washable, soft, and sustainable – providing a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution for recipients and caregivers. More than just a practical item, each one represents hours of dedication, intention, and love sewn into every seam by volunteers who believe deeply in the dignity of every human being,' said Richardson. The foundation's first visit on the day was at a home of a man living with a disability in Newlands East. 'Despite his limited mobility and speech difficulties, his expression visibly brightened as we entered the home singing, bringing with us a bag of rice, blessing cards, and adult diapers. In a touching moment, he selflessly requested that the supplies be given instead to his elderly mother, who was bedridden in the next room,' said Richardson. Also read: Meet your local home care specialist She said upon visiting the mother, it was learnt that she is an octogenarian who is cared for by a granddaughter. 'These home visits aim to provide more than material support; they offer connection, compassion, and dignity through simple acts like feeding a patient, helping with hygiene, or offering a moment of company,' said Richardson. The foundation then visited another home in Newlands where a son is the sole caregiver for his mother and two aunts – one of whom has Down Syndrome. 'His mother, bedridden following a stroke, requires fulltime care. The living area had been converted into a sleeping space with two beds and minimal room to move, highlighting the urgent need for supplies like diapers. In homes like these, it becomes clear that our presence alone – a visit, a conversation, a moment of attention – can offer a powerful sense of hope and recognition,' said Richardson. For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!