International Month for Deaf People is commemorated annually in September. Last month, two of our colleagues drove to Worcester, nestled in the picturesque Hex River Valley, to visit one of our beneficiary organisations, the National Institute for the Deaf.
Empowering the deaf community for over a century
NID is a registered non-profit company (NPC) that was established in 1881, well over a century ago. They are dedicated to serving the Deaf community, especially empowering them, and ensuring that they receive the same opportunities as everyone else.
FoodForward SA reaches 67,000 people with disabilities
Upon Sinethemba Daka and Bukhosi Kontsiwe’s arrival at the National Institute for the Deaf (NID), they were warmly greeted by very friendly staff, who immediately recognized Bukhosi as they entered the reception area. Bukhosi (or “BK” as his colleagues call him) works as a BO Coordinator in the BO Department, and Sinethemba is our Fund Development Administrator. Within FoodForward SA’s BO network, there are 195 organisations whose focus is caring for people with disabilities, enabling us to reach around 67,000 disabled people.
Tending to the needs of the deaf community
While Bukhosi left to conduct his monitoring and evaluation (unannounced M&E is a requirement for all BOs in our network), he left Sinethemba in the care of Ms Hazel Phillips.
Hazel has worked for NID for the past four years and oversees food services for elderly residents. Her daily routine includes food preparation, taking care of breakfast, teatime, and lunch, and she also has supper cleaning duties. The NID has three departments – woodwork, needlework, and handwork – that the residents can participate in throughout the day.
The institution currently houses 34 residents in elderly care. Their caregivers tend to the residents’ needs day and night. NID also has an early childhood development (ECD) centre, which is open to the community of Worcester for children with special needs. NID prides itself in educating, training, and ensuring that deaf people receive the same opportunities as everyone else.
Mobile Rural Depot programme
The National Institute for the Deaf forms part of FoodForward SA’s mobile rural depot (MRD) programme, which was specifically designed to provide greater access to nutritious food for vulnerable communities in rural areas. May 2023 marked four years since the MRD programme was launched in Worcester. Once a month, FoodForward SA’s 14-ton truck travels 150 km from our Cape Town branch to a central location in Worcester, to deliver nutritious grocery items and fresh fruit and vegetables to about 20 organisations that form part of the Worcester MRD.
Hazel says that the food from FoodForward SA is greatly valued, as they use the ingredients to prepare daily nutritious meals for the residents. Upon receiving their monthly provisions, she gathers her team of kitchen staff, who sort and pack the non-perishables in the pantry and immediately peel, chop, wash, and bag the vegetables. They wash the fruit, which they give to the residents as a snack between meals. She mentions that her “veggie soup” is a favourite amongst elderly residents, especially on cold days. She also shares that certain businesses, hospitals, and companies send their old paperwork to them to shred and the shredded paper then goes to the recycling plant the institution receives a fee for the recycled paper as a donation.
Sign language is now an official language
The NID community is overjoyed that sign language is now the 12th official language in South Africa. The institute is thankful to their community that continues to support and help them advocate for their rights thus far. “By making sign language the 12th official language of South Africa, the government aims to advance the rights of citizens living with disabilities by ensuring that their rights to substantive equality, dignity and social inclusion are recognised.” (https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sign-language-officially-12th-official-language)
Donate to FoodForward SA and help us continue to support organisations caring for people with disabilities.
