No more stigma

Celebrating recovery from addiction & mental illness in all its forms.
join us for recovery walk cape town's 10th recovery walk!
28 september 2024 @ lentegeur psychiatric hospital mitchells plain

join us for the recovery walk cape town!
28/09/2024 @ Lentegeur psychiatric hospital mitchells plain

The Cape Town Recovery Walk celebrates recovery from addiction and mental illness with an annual walk to raise awareness each September for Recovery Awareness Month.

Join us for the 10th annual Recovery Walk Cape Town on Saturday 28th September 2024!

Our annual Recovery Walk aims to support and create a space where individuals in recovery can find strength in each other’s stories, share their triumphs, and inspire others to embrace a life of recovery, in all its forms.

Join us for a day of celebrating loudly and proudly recovery from mental illness and addiction in all its different forms. This is an inclusive, sober and free-to-attend event where people living with an addiction or mental illness have a space to be open about their recovery and access networks, support, and resources.

Whether you are in recovery yourself, a family member, a friend, someone who works in the field or a compassionate advocate, your presence and support will make a difference. Walk with us, side by side, united in our commitment to recovery.

International Recovery Day takes place in September and we walk in unity with recovery communities across the world.

Recovery Walk Cape Town is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to create an event promoting community collaboration and positive connection towards understanding mental illness including addictions. Our goal is to raise awareness, eliminate stigma, and promote the resources necessary for sustained recovery. This Cape Town iteration of the Recovery Walk takes place each year in September and provides a platform for being open about mental health concerns and recovery.

Recovery is a powerful and transformative process that touches the lives of countless individuals, families, and communities – a journey that requires courage, resilience, and support.

By donating to the Annual Recovery Walk Cape Town, you will contribute directly to our mission of supporting individuals on their journey to wellness.

The Recovery Walk is a not-for-profit organisation (193-592 NPO.) All committee members are volunteers and no paid staff are employed. Your donation will assist us with the cost of running this year’s event.

Please click on the link to make a donation Recovery Walk Cape Town: Champion Page | BackaBuddy

About recovery walk cape town

Recovery Walk Cape Town (RWCT) is an independent group collaborating with like-minded organisations. We support open recovery. We support inclusive clean & sober events. We are not affiliated with any organisations, corporations, 12-step groups, political parties, or religions. We strongly challenge the stigma that shames and silences us. Seldom are events organised that focus primarily on supporting and enhancing our mental health.

We are a team of volunteers. Our aim is to create an event that celebrates recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs, and mental illness, to show that we do recover, and to honour the many pathways to recovery.

Recovery Walks internationally have been encouraging open recovery for over 30 years. The first Cape Town Recovery Walk ran successfully in 2014 and has grown to attract over 700 people. In 2019 under severe lockdown restrictions, Recovery Walk Cape Town successfully held a Recovery Drive taking the message of recovery to seven areas throughout Cape Town.

Sober spaces within Cape Town are few and so Recovery Walk Cape Town is a perfect occasion to enjoy and celebrate recovery with friends and family.

RWCT is an independent group who collaborates with like-minded organisations. Past Participants have included South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Grandmothers’ Against Poverty and AIDS (GAPA), Shumeez Scottt Foundation, Awareness Programmes in Substance Abuse (APISA), Freeway Ministries, Cedars Private Addiction Treatment Centre, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Liberty Home Treatment centre, Life Righting Collective, Trellidor and other organisations also showed their support.

The Recovery Walk takes place annually in September, recognised as International Recovery Month.

It is estimated that over 13% of South Africans meet the diagnostic criteria of Substance Use Disorder, yet only 5% of people with substance use disorder access treatment. This means that only approximately 1 in 20 South Africans with drug or alcohol problems access treatment. Counter the shame that is rife in your community by joining us at RWCT.

There is always help for anything you may be going through. Make sure you tell your family, friends and your health care professionals – all are welcome at RWCT. Motivational speaker, health care professionals and others will all be there to inspire and uplift families, no matter what point along your recovery journey you are on.

Together, we can create a safe and supportive environment for those in recovery, offering a platform to share stories, inspire others, and build a community that understands and embraces recovery.

WE CELEBRATE

We celebrate that recovery from addiction and mental illness is a lived reality in many peoples’ lives in South Africa and throughout the world. Mental illness and addiction does not discriminate.

This is illustrated by the statistic that approximately 13.3 percent of South Africans meet the diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder (Herman et al., 2009).

WE SHOW SOLUTIONS

At this event we show that we are real people who have found a diversity of recovery solutions. Help is out there for those who need it and it comes in different forms. The Recovery Walk connects those in need of help with existing resources and support that they might not be aware of or usually have access to.

WE CHANGE PERCEPTION

We counter the shame and stigma that is rife in our communities. We challenge any public attempt to dehumanise, objectify and demonise people living with mental illnesses, including alcoholism and other addictions. The more we share our stories, the less stigmatised they become.

WE PROVIDE SUPPORT

We celebrate our own and others’ recoveries. We acknowledge those who work in the prevention, treatment and recovery fields. There are incredible organisations, individuals and community networks doing great work locally in this area. We show our solidarity with international recovery movements.

REFERENCES

Herman, A. A., Stein, D. J., Seedat, S., Heeringa, S. G., Moomal, H., & Williams, D. R. (2009). The South African Stress and Health (SASH) study: 12-month and lifetime prevalence of common mental disorders. South African medical journal, 99(5).

Why participate?

You want to attend a public, alcohol and drug-free, inclusive recovery event.

You are in recovery.

You are supportive of recovery.

You are seeking recovery.

You want to share your recovery.

You want to celebrate recovery.

You are interested in mental health.

You work in the field of mental health.

You realise addiction and mental illness affects us all.

You know someone in recovery.

You want to be part of a growing recovery community.

You want to challenge the stigma.

You seek new ways to connect with the community in a sober, meaningful way.

You want to support a positive, inclusive mental health cause.

History of recovery walk cape town

A meeting was called in 2014 for people who would be interested in learning about the Recovery Walks that happen internationally during September, the month of international recovery awareness. On the 24th of September 2015, Heritage Day in South Africa, the first Recovery Walk was held in Cape Town.

The route from the Central Methodist Mission in Green Market Square to The Labia Theatre ran successfully for four years and grew to attract around 400 people who gathered together to celebrate recovery. Messages of support were received from Recovery Walks around the world. In 2018 a message of support was received from the Mayor of Cape Town.

In 2019 the Recovery Walk moved from the CBD of Cape Town to the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone. Again a successful and well-attended event was held. Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health was the guest speaker at the official opening. The RWCT team planned to run the 2020 Recovery Walk at the same venue but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the team had to rethink the event.

The Covid-19 regulations made it impossible for large gatherings. In 2020 a Recovery Drive was held and by hiring a truck the message of recovery was brought to seven areas around greater Cape Town. It was successful in that a recovery event was held under severe pandemic restrictions.

In 2021 the Recovery Walk was held at Maynardville Park in Wynberg in person with a host of activities and recovery stalls including a short Recovery Walk. Due to Covid-19 uncertainty keeping many at home, the event was live-streamed. It was a recovery day in the park that was enjoyed by all who attended.

2022 saw the Recovery Walk Cape Town finding a new home through The Spring Foundation and Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital. This was the biggest Recovery Walk yet with more than 700 participants taking to the streets of Mitchells Plain. This was an incredibly well attended and successful event. Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital agreed to host future Recovery Walk Cape Town events.

2023 we decided to continue building the Recovery Walk Cape Town at Lentegeur in the aim of capacitating this community to independently run Recovery Walk Mitchells Plain as a satellite recovery walk space with the goal of hosting a main event in Cape Town City Center by 2026. We plan to create a model for how communities around South Africa, and the world, can independently set up their own Recovery Walk events.

Fundraising

Donate through BackABuddy

Email us recoverywalkcapetown@gmail.com

Get involved - volunteer - donate

donate

volunteer

hire a stall

By donating to the Annual Recovery Walk, you will contribute directly to our mission of supporting individuals on their journey to wellness.

Please click on the link to make a donation Recovery Walk Cape Town: Champion Page | BackaBuddy

The Recovery Walk is an inclusive, alcohol and drug free, recovery event. We invite individuals, organisations, rehabilitation centres, hospitals and groups to participate.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact us at recoverywalkcapetown@gmail.com.

Whether you are in recovery yourself, a family member, a friend, someone who works in the field or an ally, your presence and support will make a difference. Together, we can create a safe and supportive environment for those in recovery, offering a platform to share stories, inspire others, and build a community that embraces and celebrates recovery.

Please let us know if you would like to offer an activity or have a stall – contact us on recoverywalkcapetown@gmail.com as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you would be interested in hiring a stall please contact us at recoverywalkcapetown@gmail.com.

We invite organisations, rehabs, hospitals and groups to participate.

The day of the Recovery Walk allows us to show our communities that recovery is an available resource.