Tru-Cape supports PATMOS in Ceres.

A generous donation of R20 000 by Tru-Cape has helped PATMOS, which does social and spiritual work among farm labourers in Ceres, to buy a second hand bakkie. The bakkie enables Pastor Allen Nicholas to reach fruit farms in the Bo-Swaarmoed area. Without this bakkie , the ministry work would not have been possible, according Cordré Smith, finance director of PATMOS .

PATMOS was founded by her father, Andre Smith and a neighbour (Johannes Pienaar ) when they saw the need for spiritual and social work among farm workers . The focus of PATMOS is on the spiritual care of agricultural workers in the Witzenberg region. Since farms are located far from the nearest town, transport is a necessity for this ministry.

It had become necessary to replace the previous vehicle and, due to the nature of the work, it was important to purchase a reliable replacement. “Farmers already contribute a lot of money each year and we could not go knocking on their doors for more money. Therefore, we are very grateful to Tru-Cape for its generous contribution, “Smith said. Donations to PATMOS fall under spending on socio-economic development on the Agri-BEE scorecard.

“The area is too big and distances are too far for the churches in Ceres to really make an impact. Because most farm workers could not get to church, PATMOS decided to bring the church to where they work,” says Smith. The PATMOS concept is that all participating farms contribute financially to cover costs. Farmers also allow workers time off to talk to PATMOS staff. Along with spiritual work, PATMOS also does upliftment and social work on the farms.

Currently PATMOS has three full-time spiritual workers and two volunteers. Nearly 40 farms participate and spend about R320 000 to the project each year. The Dutch Reformed Church in Ceres also contributed financially.