By Rikie Lai
Upliving with Disability Movement and Shirley Special Day Care have partnered for Mandela Day and ask those involved to take positive actions in tribute to Nelson Mandela. The organisation hopes to use the opportunity to raise awareness and funds, not only to further their goals but also to provide necessities for those in their care, including food parcels and blankets.
Founded in 2021, Upliving with Disability Movement is a non-profit organisation whose vision is to assist and empower the visually impaired through skills development to adequately equip them to act independently and contribute to society.
The organisation has been self-funded, and recently, these funds cannot allow for the change and action that the organisation is trying to bring with trips to Joza’s mini library of the blind or even to transport beneficiaries for activities that the organisation has. There is also a struggle to maintain the soup kitchen distributed by the organisation at Settlers Day clinic, which has been a self-funded venture for which the organisation requires assistance.
The organisation’s director, Thobele Nxuza, explains that he has partnered with Luyanda Nqebegi, the founder of Shirley Special Day Care.
Nqebegi’s organisation, founded in 2020, assists adolescents, educates, and helps with their educational requirements. Within this school are children who are visually impaired or autistic, and this is where Nqebegi also understood there could be a collaboration between the two, which could benefit both organisations as well as provide more awareness of disability to parents also involved in the school and around the community. Both directors hope to create awareness around the Makhanda community by teaching parents and communities about physical disability or special needs and trying to demonstrate that “nobody is abnormal”, as quoted by Nqebegi.
They hope to create more knowledge in the community regarding special needs or visual impairment. Not only do both organisations want to provide for those in their care, in addition to the necessities they will be providing, Upliving with Disability Movement would like to update their computer equipment to restart their computer literacy for the visually impaired as well as begin many other ventures they would like to continue for the community. In contrast, Shirley Special Day Care wants to accommodate a location to be used as a school, as Nqebegi is currently operating out of the home to facilitate their children.
Although Mandela has passed, he leaves his legacy, which still motivates communities yearly to do good and bring about positivity. These organisations are no different in following the legacy of trying to bring about awareness and positive changes to impact the communities of Makhanda as well as those who are represented by these organisations.
For any donations or enquiries:
FNB
Account name: Upliving with Disability Movement
Account number: 62907847208
Branch code: 250655
Physical address:
No.1 Cobden Street Settlers Day Clinic grounds
For more information, please get in touch with Thobela Nxuza on 060 443 4277 or Thembalethu Nanto on 078 014 5944 or email uplivingwithdisabilitymovement@gmail.com
