July 2020 Newsletter We’re constantly reminded that when working with young children and especially those with disabilities, that small steps need to be celebrated as big achievements because they pave the foundation for all future development. Our Work under Lockdown level 3 Our way of working continues to be impacted by the Lockdown level 3 regulations, and with the dramatic …
Despite the lockdown we have continued with our Sinezwi, giving parents who we work with an opportunity to share their story and their experiences. This is Mbali’s story Mbali was in Matric when she found out that she was pregnant, she hadn’t given much thought to being a mom. At that time she was living in KwaNzimakwe with her mom, …
The model which Siyakwazi implements, supports the holistic inclusion and development of a child with a disability. We support early identification and advocate for early intervention. In some instances, supporting developmental delays or barriers to learning, early intervention leads to prevention as we support a child through critical developmental pathways at an early age. At the start of 2020 Dani …
Half a million children with disabilities in South Africa have been shut out of South Africa’s education system. In KwaZulu Natal, the highest number of children not accessed to any form of education, is 117 000. Most are hidden away at home and lack the opportunities to learn and progress. The medical model of disability observes a person’s limitations based …
We want to support parents of children with disabilities, show them the role they play in their child’s early learning, create advocacy for the rights of children with disabilities and allow them a space to grow and nurture their own beliefs around disability so that they too can be a voice which breaks stigma and prejudice in the community. Read …
A global trend is happening right now and we are by no means isolated from its impact. Around the world everyone is starting to come to terms with the pandemic brought about by Covid19 and how life as we ‘knew’ it is starting to transform into something different. At Siyakwazi, we, like many, are adjusting our strategy and way of …
Supporting children with disabilities can be a sensitive topic. A lot of stigma remains around disability and parents are often scared to share too much about their experience or talk about the situation. Our Inclusion team have recognised the role counselling plays in supporting parents and helping them ‘open up’ about their experience with having a child with a disability. …
At the start of 2019 we were faced with a funding dilemma in that there was insufficient funding to fully support our ECD programme across all 20 ECD Centres which we worked with in 2018. We then decided to create a definite separation between our inclusion and school readiness approaches. We developed 2 ECD-based programmes with the funding available. For …
(an uHambo foundation initiative) At the beginning of 2019, Siyakwazi undertook an exciting ‘partnership’ with uHambo Foundation South Africa, an NPO established in 2010 to bring about social change for all children with mobility disabilities in South Africa. The main goal of this partnership was to add to the philosophy that Siyakwazi has developed with its ‘inclusive hub’ approach with …
Supporting Children with Disabilities and their parents June 2019 saw the start of our very first official Learn & Play Holiday Club. This year the team decided that they wanted to provide a more intensive learning and support environment for children with disabilities and children who are participating in the catch-up programme. The learn and play holiday club took place …
