THE STORY OF NHLANHLA MABUZA

NHLANHLA MABUZA

Nhlanhla Mabuza,mother of  Joshua, 7, and Caleb, 5, lives with them in Benoni. On  6 September 2009 Nhlanhla was involved in a motor vehicle accident which left her paralyzed. After regaining consciousness in hospital, she was told that she would no longer be able to use her legs or walk again and that she would have to use a  wheelchair.  She did not know what to do, how to do it or where to start.

Accepting that she has to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life and rely on others for assistance was hard for her. Prior to the accident Nhlanhla was an independent woman who enjoyed doing things for herself; after the accident she felt as if the world had come to an end for her and that nothing would ever be possible for her to do or to achieve.

Nhlanhla says that waking up every morning and looking at the faces of her two boys really motivated her. Her family and the support that she received from her church encouraged her to start again and view life in a different way.

She slowly started doing the things she used to do before the accident and taking each day as it came. Nhlanhla started to submit applications for employment. On the 06 September 2013, Nhlanhla was offered an employment opportunity to be part of the I Can! Academy (Centurion-Campus) team; she is employed as the campus Administrator. She says working at the I Can! Academy is a great opportunity and experience for her due to the fact that the learners themselves will find more motivation when they come to school every morning and see her on a wheelchair running the administration of the campus. She is also a born again Christian who worships at ‘’Church of the Way’’ in Brentwood Park. She also did a course on children ministry which she found helpful on handling or dealing with learners’ demands at the campus.

MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE FROM NHLANHLA:

Don’t limit possibilities in life. Possibilities depend on our mindset, willingness to believe that everything is possible; once we accept that there is no limit to what is possible we are free to explore this wonderful world we live in and to achieve our greatest dreams and goals.

Prepared by: Makhosonke Birthwell Ngomane

I CAN! PE HOSTS BREAKFAST INFORMATION SESSION

The school year is nearing an end and this often means that there is a growing number of learners uncertain of what the future holds for them. I Can! hosts annual breakfast information sessions nationwide during this time of the year to inform schools and organisations of the opportunities on offer for learners with disabilities.

On 15 November, we invited stakeholders from 30 different schools and organisations to our PE academy. The presentation included information regarding the learnerships on offer and our application process. We discussed the rules and regulations of the academies and we had two of our learners share their experience with I Can!

This was a first of its kind for PE and was extremely successful with more than 40 delegates attending. We are encouraged by the support we receive from the community and our sponsors and clients. This endeavour has encouraged and motivated us to continue to deliver an excellent service

For more information on what I Can! has to offer, please contact your regional office for assistance.

BELLVILLE CAMPUS

From the time Maryam Kriel started at I Can!  she was amazed at the commitment and dedication of the facilitators and operations staff alike.

As the Operations Manager for the Western Cape, she faced challenging couple of months getting to grips with  the clients and the processes for the region. However, she welcomed the challenges which have have allowed for growth in the region. As a team,  the Western Cape Campus is committed to ensuring that the disabled learners will have great opportunities during their learning period. It goes without saying, that the learners have grown and have built good relationships with their peers and facilitators.

I Can! encourages healthy  team relationships.  This ensures that the learners are socially equipped and are able to be integrated into the workplace.  As we reflect on a year drawing to a close we remember how often we have had to mediate situations which arose with our learners and this has reminded us on the importance of role-models and social responsibility. Many of our learners do not have this guidance at home. In light of this we have engaged with UCT students to assist us with talks and counseling sessions for those who may need it.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The “16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children” is an international campaign. It takes place every year from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day). The period includes Universal Children’s Day and World AIDS Day. During this time, the South African Government runs a “16 Days of Activism Campaign” to make people aware of the negative impact of violence on women and children and to act against abuse.  Our academies have made white ribbons for everyone in support of this initiative.