I quote Celine Grammer, one of the administrative staff of the Pain Collective, who writes this is as the winner in response to an in-house competition we ran to get the team to help us think of the best name for our NGO:

‘Hesperus derives from Greek mythology, meaning THE EVENING STAR. My take on it is - the evening star brings light to the darkest places. Often times people who struggle financially are drawn to a dark place. Having to worry about medical bills, a roof over your head or even what you are going to feed your family can cause so much stress that it can possibly contribute / lead to physical pain. The meaning of the word Hesperus to me means there is always a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how hard life gets there is always someone who cares enough to help and be there when times are tough, to uplift you when you most need it. No matter how dark the night is there is always an evening star to guide us.’

AIM

The aim of Hesperus Initiative is to give back to the community as healthcare providers, freely and without restraint as far as that what is good and proper is in this world, will allow it to do so.

FIELD

The NGO primarily assists the community that live with chronic pain that do not have access to private healthcare. Pain has been declared the biggest disease in the world by the WHO and in South Africa access to pain management centres is near non-existent for most of its citizens.

METHOD

By partnering with primary care workers in both the government sector and within the community, Hesperus Initiative educates people and enable access to therapeutic services and even pain procedures.