A Tongaat father who suffered two major tragedies in his life has devoted his life to uplifting the lives of the poor and deserving.
Pastor Krish Pillay, 76, of Chelmsford Heights in Tongaat, lost his daughter when she was 17 years old and later, his wife who was 54 years old. To honour his wife and daughter, Pillay is launching the Starliz Rehab and Medical Centre Foundation, named after his daughter Starling, and wife Lizzy. “I came to understand what it means to build a family life that is truly founded upon Christian values, through my wife Lizzy, she always talked about the importance of having a Christ-centred home which meant helping the vulnerable. My wife’s entire life was devoted to caring for the poor. She used to collect old clothes and sell them, the proceeds from which she would buy groceries to feed people. She was ably assisted by a neighbour, Cookie Rambath.”
The money raised from these initiatives were used to support a feeding scheme and set up a building fund which amounted to R130 000, at the end of 2019. Rambath even contributed money from her disability grant to the church and a sum of R7 000 of her savings and, together with my personal contribution, we purchased a vehicle for the church at a cost of R80 000.” Pillay said with the medical centre they aim to address poverty by focusing on several areas. “This involves working with local organisations, as well as with the public and private sectors. Our work includes helping people to claim their rights and access healthcare services. We also aim to take care of the needs of the elderly by providing them with groceries and medical care. I hope to have a doctor visiting the centre to attend to the frail and elderly. There will also be a feeding scheme which will be extended to schools and the outlying impoverished areas.”
Pillay said one of the major problems facing the community is drugs and alcohol, especially among the youth and wants to begin a drug rehabilitation programme for them. After marrying Lizzy in 1975 the couple had one child. He worked as a legal clerk for 30 years while studying a law degree. “Unfortunately tragedy struck when my daughter died in a car accident and I had to quit my studying and work. After her death I gave my life to Christ and got involved in community work.” He said the medical centre will be a two-storey building. The bottom to function as a healthcare centre and the top as a rehabilitation centre. In his latest development, Pillay said his team has acquired a 10 acre piece of land in Tongaat to start an organic farm. “We want to cultivate vegetables which will be used to feed the poor in the Tongaat and surrounding areas. I want to emphasise that this foundation is there to assist communities of all races and religious groups.” For more information, contact Andrew on 0849656388.
