Disability & Inclusion Awareness 2021

December 2021 Newsletter

Rural Health Conference 2021

At the beginning of September Siyakwazi had the privilege of once again participating in the Rural Health Conference. The 2021 conference took place in Limpopo and allowed for both a face-to-face and virtual immersion. The theme for this year’s conference was linked to Equity in Rural Health. 

Siyakwazi took the opportunity to present on both the Therapy programme and Referral process which currently make up a big part of the Inclusion arm of Siyakwazi’s work. Both presentations shared insights into Siyakwazi’s model and learnings over the years as well as the potential for scalability. In particular the Therapy programme was a great way to showcase to organisations how it’s possible to start small. At the start, Siyakwazi’s Therapy programme was really about Siyasizas joining families for therapy at the local clinic. 8 years later and over 80 children access termly therapy at Siyakwazi’s Resource Centre with support from private Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language Therapy. 

Reflecting on both the Therapy and Referral programmes has supported the team to look at how we could share the information of our own systems and processes which have developed over the years in a meaningful way. Especially considering other organisations who would have the willingness and capacity to replicate this model/ methodology. This is something we are particular excited to explore further as we continue the journey with Sue Philpott and the research project initiated through the DG Murray Trust. 

Disability & Inclusion Awareness Training

A special Thank you to organisations who have collaborated with Siyakwazi over the past 4 months with various disability and inclusion awareness programmes. In total 93 people have participated in Siyakwazi’s Disability & Inclusion programme across 3 provinces in September and October. The Disability & Inclusion Awareness training manual and facilitator guide was formalised and consolidated earlier this year to allow for a scalable reach of different audiences who work with the disability sector or who have a desire for escalated inclusion in their communities.  

Malamulele Onwards

The team from Malamulele Onwards brought their training to Siyakwazi’s Resource Centre in November and shared an intense full week on supporting children with Cerebral Palsy. A special thanks to Lydia and Samangani for facilitating such an excellent and informative workshop. Seven of Siyakwazi’s team were included in the training as well as five parents of children with Cerebral Palsy, who participate in Siyakwazi’s programmes. Amongst the many takeaways from the week was a deepened understanding of children living with Cerebral Palsy and the many ways that the condition can affect them, parents also had the opportunity to open up about their own personal experiences raising a child with a disability.