By Beverley Maphakane
On February 22 2022 Sithandiwe Disabled Care Centre in Lombardy East, Johannesburg received a donation of boxes of food and fruits from the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), financial services provider Outsurance and Genesis Nutrition, a manufacturer of nutritional products.
Sithandiwe accommodates children with autism and cerebral palsy between the ages of three and 18. Its founder, Thandi Sefike, told ThisAbility she was happy about the visit. “It is something that we truly appreciate, and you can tell that the children are also elated to be in the company of the team.”
The 61-year-old Sefike admitted that it is difficult to get donations and sponsorships from corporates. “This donation has made a lot of difference, especially because we have not gotten any since the covid-19 outbreak. We finance our operations through the school fees paid by the parents. We also get funding from the department of education,” she said.
The NCPD, as the main organiser, said that the visit was part of its Fight Hunger project which ran throughout the month of February with the aim of assisting the vulnerable and less fortunate in society.
Speaking to ThisAbility, Dylan Mashele, public relations and communications officer at NCPD said this was the first time Outsurance came on board to collaborate with and support the council as the funder of the donations. “We have always been working with Genesis. Now that Outsurance has funded thisproject, we believe this is the beginning of more of us working together,” said Mashele, looking happy to see the children playing.
Outsurance CSI coordinator Mariske Keyter said though thecompany has partnered with Genesis and is supporting the NCPD in its campaign, the act from their side is part of ‘Staff Helping SA Out’ initiative, in which the insurer’s staff get involved and volunteer time to help with community projects. “This is close to our hearts. We want to help the community, get involved and make a difference,” she added.
The 12 Outsurance staff members actively prepared lunch andhelped to feed some of the children. They also helped them with activities such as painting and drawing, and energetically played soft sports with them. “It is thrilling to see the staff taking their time and effort to make the children happier,” Keyter told ThisAbility.
Sam Siame, head of administration from Genesis, said “It is a wonderful initiative to be part of. Seeing how people need the nutritional products that we supply and witnessing the love they have for the products is a lovely privilege.” He added that the company often donates its products to disability-affiliated organisations and “it is really a humbling experience to see people eating these meals and getting the nutrition they need for their development.”
Sefike, who uses a wheelchair because of polio, founded Sithandiwe in 2006 with seven children. The centre has 10 employees and currently caters for 40 children, 10 of whom are residential while the rest use just the day-care services.
Sefike said she is happy about the progress society is making with regards to the treatment and perception of people with disabilities. “Our communities and government are doing a lot better than when I was growing up and being called inappropriate and derogatory names. People with disabilities arenow more respected and recognised than ever before.”
