Intellectually impaired youths, from Nolitha Special School in Masukeni location in MaXesibeni (formerly Mount Ayliff), recently exhibited their work in the form of quality leather handbags, leather cushions and beading, with the aim of attracting investors.
This Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) social sector programme, which is run by the Departments of Education, Social Development and Public Works, and Infrastructure Intervention, is considered one of the best practices in the implementation of this programme (EPWP) in terms of the inclusion of people with disabilities.
According to acting chief director of the EPWP, Zukhanye Satyi, it is also an intervention to remove barriers and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The social sector partners supported the project by assisting caregivers and gardeners from the same school.
“The department wants to share this best practice with the people of South Africa, as we celebrate the National Disability Rights Awareness month. This is an opportunity for society to reflect on efforts to remove and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. We also want to assess the 2% target for participation for people with disabilities in EPWP projects,” said Satyi.
He said they wanted to appeal to every investor to procure products from this project, so as to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.
One of the members of the school governing body, Tukulwane, said even though their learners had intellectual impairment, they were very important and this was shown by the support they got from the Department of Public Works and the Department of Social Development.
She said people had the misconception that these children could not do anything for themselves.
“We are happy because they have shown that they could do something with their lives and they had managed to uplift the standard of other special schools in South Africa. As the parents, we are proud because we have seen that our children could use their hands for a living,” said Tukulwane.
She said the programme had assisted them because even former learners were now able to get job opportunities.
According to Tukulwane, they also assist other learners by teaching each other some skills.
“The problem that we have is (a lack of) infrastructure. We are appealing to the department to assist us so that we may have a centre where these learners could work.”
The principal of the school, Sivuyile Tshangana, appreciated the Department of Public Works bringing this programme to their school. He said their learners used to be stigmatised and insulted, but now their learners had proved that they could use their hands to do different things.
“We were helped by the Department of Social Development to ensure that they supply us with different material. We are proud to say that other we have learners who have been employed in one of the hotels in Johannesburg,” said Tshangana.
