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Special little things with very special needs

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Hi Guys, It's Leanne & Kim here,
We just wanted to share with you some of the awesome things we have planned for our exceptional special needs kids this year.If you would like to get involved in any way – we would love to hear from you;
please do get in touch.
HOLAH is not only a babies house for crisis care, but we also have a cottage set up for special needs children to be able to stay with us indefinitely; we have four special angels who all have different levels of understanding, development and movement. We are aiming to eventually build a community for them as they grow into adulthood.In our Newsletter this month, we would like to introduce you to these amazing organisations that we have the pleasure of working so closely with and who have contributed immeasurably to our cause.  They are the most wonderful organisations who willingly give so much of their precious time and energy, helping us in bettering the quality of life for our special needs kids
IMVULA THERAPYImvula Therapy Centre has been involved with HOLAH Special Needs kids since 2020.
This year we are seeing all the Special Needs kids at HOLAH every Monday morning.
Each of the kiddies have individual time, where their activities are structured specifically to their needs, including  Exercises, Sensory, Fine and Gross Motor Skills, as well as correct seating and positioning in order to prevent the progression of deformities.
Our current aims is to get more movement and strengthening their muscles to improve posture and general well-being.
 
BRIGHT EYESBright Eyes Centre for Visually impaired Children was lovingly established in 2009 to meet a critical need. They are an early intervention Centre caring for, educating and supporting visually impaired children and their carers in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.At Bright Eyes, their primary goal is to provide highly specialised and adapted intervention and foundational strategies to ensure the optimal and naturally healthy physical, cognitive and emotional development of visually impaired young children – all within a supportive and nurturing environment.
The Bheka Project is a drive to ensure that children in vulnerable communities receive essential early intervention services and vision screenings from as early as 6 months old. The earlier a vision disorder is detected the more effectively it can be treated.It was started in October 2020 with the aim to identify vision disorders early, facilitate the early intervention process as well as provide training to parents, care givers and teachers on early intervention strategies to ensure optimal development in children with vision disorders. The pandemic however has highlighted the urgent need for us to extend our Project offering to provide follow up care to children in the form of offering an optometrist consultation for accurate decision making on further referral including referral to Ophthalmologists and to provide assistive devices to those who have been identified as having vision disorders.HOLAH is delighted to have them join the family.
INTERFACE
IMAGINE NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK! Impossible right? We take our speech for granted! But every day thousands of children and adults with disabilities in KZN face this enormous challenge.
AAC gives a voice to those who cannot speak.
INTERFACE AIMS TO…
• Empower people who use AAC and their families by providing support to them.
• Promote public awareness of communication diffi culties and share information about AAC     options.
• Facilitate access to training for individuals and groups who have AAC needs.
• Facilitate the development of AAC resources for adults and children with little or no               functional speech.
• Facilitate recognition for the necessity and benefi ts of AAC for people with limited speech.
• Offer client and family centred AAC screenings and evaluations.
• Provide our members with access to a library of AAC resources.
The Red Balloon FoundationThe Red Balloon Foundation started working with HOLAH and their children with special needs in Feb 2019.
It was started in memory of Maxim Harvie in 2017 Maxim was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy & Cortical Visual Impairment and passed away just before is 3rd Birthday in 2016.
The Foundation raises funds for underprivileged Special Needs children to receive neurological rehabilitation. The therapy done through the Foundation is offered by NeuroGenesis, who has two qualified ABM NeuroMovement practitioners, namely Antoinette – Maxim's mom and Terry, who also has a little girl with Cerebral Palsy) and also specialises in Cortical Visual Impairment.
We offer a whole week of intensive ABM NeuroMovement Therapy (10 sessions over five days for each child) every six months.
We have also assisted in completing a Cortical Visual Impairment assessment and providing intervention plans and environmental set up to help the relevant kids be able to learn to use their vision functionally. Each of the kids receives individualised sessions based on their current development and show significant progress in their sessions.
Our belief at the Red Balloon Foundation is that EVERY child deserves a chance to be the best they can be.
Khethiwe Rehabilitation CentreTHEY BUILD a FAMILY -in order for them to be successful at what they do we need to be a team with the parents. They strive to build a Khethiwe Family at all times and to make their base: Kusasa House, a home away from home for them.
Their lifestyle based model, which focusses on skills transference, has a profound impact on the clients they serve, their families and their communities.
Khethiwe empowers families with the knowledge that they are the ones who can most help their children.
They provide Rehabilitation :Their primary aim is to offer excellent rehabilitation following the Neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT) approach. The emphasis is on the mothers being empowered to help their children so that the therapist takes on the role of the teacher/facilitator.
They fill a gap by serving as “primary care providers” in terms of helping families to thrive despite the many challenges faced living in a poorly resourced environment with children with disabilities.
Khethiwe's services are free of charge for those who cannot afford to pay for it.
They have a three branch Outreach strategy serving our clients but also other children with disabilities in the broader surrounding and encompassing community collaboration.
They network extensively with other organisations governmental, hospitals and NGO’s building up a sustainable network of resources
Donate To Likhon iThembaDonate Straight Into Our Bank Account:Likhon iThemba
FNB – Durban North
Branch Code – 220426
Account Number – 62396663918
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