April

2016
Cape Town hub

Special needs support at Ikhayalethemba

Objectives

Increase access to educational support programs in the community
Increase Health and Safety conditions for children in the community

Summary

Developing a structured program for the children with Special Needs is an important part of our Healthcare project in
Cape Town. Whilst the children with Special needs may not have the scope of potential as the other children we work
with at Ikhayalethemba, we strive to ensure there is as much stimulation as possible.

Report

All the children with special needs that we work with are non-verbal and some of the children are unable to walk
independently. Individual goals have been set for each child and we strive to give each of them at least one stimulation
activity a day.

Along with stretching routines, our Healthcare volunteers work with resources that provide tactile, aural and visual
stimulation for the children. Our volunteers read stories to the children providing both visual and aural stimulation.
The childrens respond well to having stories read to them, usually their smile says it all. The Sensory room is a great
facility where the children receive a lot of their therapy.

The warmer weather certainly allows more flexibility with the childrens program. We are able to take the children
outside more frequently. This also means the children are able to interact with the other children at the Sanctuary.
Where possible, we include the children with special needs in the group times and activities, even if it is just to observe
the other children and feel part of whats happening.

Nappies are an expensive ongoing cost and this is particularly the case with children with Special Needs. The children at
Ikhayalethemba Sanctuary with special needs rely on nappies full time. Some of these children are in their teenage
years and therefore need adult nappies which are specialized to their size and more absorbent than childrens nappies.

Thanks to generous Charitable Trust donations it means that there is an adequate supply of nappies for the children at
all times. The nappies available for the carers to use with the children are suited to the size of the child and their
particular needs. Suitable nappies mean that the children with special needs have increased hygiene.

Summary

We continue to develop and improve our stimulation program at Ikhayalethemba Sanctaury monitoring each individual
childs progress, and work closely with the government Health team to ensure that our program continues to be
effective.