Community Spirit

It's not everyday you come across individuals talking so excitedly about their neighbours. Let’s face it, in today's society we don't talk to people; let alone our neighbours who are so close yet so distantly far in our social realm. Perhaps that's what attracts the residents of Westhoek to stay here despite the lack of food related facilities and long distances to the nearest grocery store. A friendly atmosphere is created by the community as a whole; thus allowing an informal network working interconnectedly to help one another. We talked to three residents today, who said that people in their villages rely on each other; they are dependent on their neighbours in case of emergencies, to do the groceries, or other essentials that are otherwise difficult to do on their own. It's sometimes really a big step for people to accept help. While they want to do it on their own and rely on themselves, it’s not easy to do so especially when there are physical and other health related constraints. It often leads to individuals not seeking formal help out of their own initiative. However, we saw today a spirit of helping each other is very well present in villages of Westhoek. Neighbours offer informal help to one another, and volunteers willingly take their time to provide formal help when necessary. Despite the disadvantages of a lack of services, it seems like some do not find this as a challenge due to the tight-knit community present in these areas.