Neighbours’ Day, a thriving tradition in Moka

Once again, the Moka’mwad collective played a vital role in supporting organisers, enabling them to create events tailored to their respective neighbourhoods. Neighbours’ Day is open to groups of all sizes! This event is gaining momentum year after year and inspires new ideas while building loyalty among organisers and participants alike.

Neighbours’ Day in an emerging neighbourhood

Who says you need a large crowd to organise Neighbours’ Day? This event is the perfect opportunity to forge good neighbourly ties, regardless of the size of your community! This was the case for the first edition in Telfair Views, organised by Sabrina Hau.

“The neighbourhood is just starting to grow and we organised an Easter egg hunt for the children. One thing led to another and we thought it would be nice to hold an event that brings all the neighbours together, even those without children,” she says. “Neighbours’ Day was a great way to meet familiar faces and newcomers alike. The excellent organisational framework provided by Moka’mwad made the task much easier! All I had to do was choose the chairs and tables that suited the size of our common garden and spread the word.”

The rapid positive feedback speaks for itself, confirming Sabrina’s belief in a mutual desire to connect. A little over thirty people enjoyed this friendly get-together.

Beautiful collaboration

Sometimes, the daily grind takes precedence. Patricia Louvet took up the challenge of organising her neighbourhood’s event on short notice. Having experienced Neighbours’ Day in Switzerland, she was a newcomer to Helvétia last year and took her first steps as an organiser this year.

“The collective offered invaluable support in the last-minute task of choosing the games and equipment. Their service providers were also very professional. The result is that our event was a great success despite the rain and cold. It was a pleasure to see the neighbours get involved, especially one who almost fed everyone with his large pot of biryani and mountains of roti!” she says.

A touch of originality

Some areas have fully embraced Neighbours’ Day, like Telfair Village, now celebrating its fourth edition – and they don’t take it lightly. Charlene Gowaneea, alongside a dedicated thirty-member organising committee, has come up with innovative ways to increase the event’s appeal.

“Although organising Neighbours’ Day has become a tradition, we don’t want it to become routine because all the neighbours look forward to this event. This year, we secured sponsors for giveaways to motivate more people to join us. We are always thinking of ways to involve more people, be it by starting earlier or including neighbouring areas in our preparations. We are already talking about the next edition,” she says enthusiastically.

As you can see, regardless of the event’s scale, its initial goal of fostering togetherness remains relevant. It is never too early to start preparing, so why not join this community movement?