C.W.A.C

(Children With A Challenge)

Children With A Challenge, established 1996, is our centre for young children with Cerebral Palsy who need maintenance therapy and specialised care. These children are profoundly disabled and are unable to attend any of our schools

MISSION STATEMENT

The KwaZulu-Natal Cerebral Palsy Association serves to cater for the needs of the Cerebral Palsied and Learning Disabled of all ages and groups in KwaZulu-Natal to enable them to attain their maximum level of independence and integration into the community. In its objective to promote the well being of the Cerebral Palsied and Learning Disabled, the KwaZulu-Natal Cerebral Palsy Association works to raise funds to support institutions which will provide services such as specialised diagnosis and assessment, treatment, educational programs, post-school social, employment and residential facilities.

ACTIVITIES

Our members receive physiotherapy and daily stimulating and maintenance activities. We provide individual care. Some, specialised devices such as a Cheap talk; Macaw, Boardmaker etc are utilised to promote communication and speech development.

FUNDING

The centres are financially, the responsibility of the Association. No child is excluded purely for financial reasons. Parents who cannot contribute financially are expected to contribute by offering some direct help with the running of the units and thereby assist with curtailing expenses. Facilitating these children also enables the parents, who are often single parents, to find meaningful employment.

STAFF

The ratio of staff to members is high to ensure that individual care and attention is given to members at all times. Most staff join the Association as Domestic Workers and then receive the relevant training to attend to the Members. We have 10 Care-workers, a Domestic Helper and 4 Drivers.

THERAPIES

Staff receive continual training from the therapists at Browns’ School who work closely with these two Centres. Speech Therapist students from UDW under the guidance of a qualified therapist do their practical work at our Centres. The speech, physio and occupational therapists from our School, are involved and provide therapy to the children and advise the staff on stimulating activities and methods of best moving and positioning the children. The Centres serve as a feed-in and feed-out channel for The Browns’ and Reunion Schools i.e. possible candidates, for either School, are assessed at our Centres on an ongoing basis. The therapists are most enthusiastic and have taken a proactive stance as they recognise that, at present, these children do not fit into the existing systems.

TRANSPORT

Our Centres draw children from across the greater Durban area. These children are often from communities who are disadvantaged and it has become essential to provide transport for these members. Public transport cannot be used, as it is unsuitable for the severely disabled child. Two 7-seater vehicles collect our children and transport them to and from our Centres on a daily basis.

VOLUNTEERS

Voluntary assistance plays an integral part of the daily routine. Amongst many others, students from the UDW visits our centres on a weekly basis. Our role in the community is to educate, assist in early detection and provide specialised service. Each member receives individual care, as the majority of them cannot feed, toilet or dress themselves and are dependent on us for all their needs. Our Association boasts a large number of volunteers in all areas of duty.

Clinic address & contact details: