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 | SIBONGILE
DAY AND NIGHT CARE CENTRE
"…wants to make people
with disabilities feel loved. Mothers who give birth to these special children
shouldn't abandon them but should love them." - Nomasango Xabanisa, the founder
of the Sibongile Day and Night Care Centre in Khayelitsha, Cape Town |  |
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"A
promise to my daughter on her deathbed has given me the courage to run the centre
for children with disabilities", says Nomasango Xabanisa, the founder of
the Sibongile Day and Night Care Centre in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Sibongile (meaning
"Thank You" in Xhosa), after whom the centre was names, was Nomasango's
daughter, who herself was disabled because of Cerebral Palsy. Despite these difficult
circumstances, Nomasango decided to start a care centre form her home after discussing
the plan with Red Cross Children's Hospital and receiving the necessary training.
Yet
their beginnings were humble: Nine other children and her daughter shared one
room in a tiny two bedroom house where money for food was scarce. It was not until
Nomasango contacted Breadline Africa to sponsor facilities for the care center
that circumstances changed. By September 2005, two containers were set up which
were "beautiful, almost like a real house," as Nomasango recalls. Sadly,
her daughter Sibongile passed away shortly thereafter, leaving a legacy of hope
and love for disabled children. |
|  | The
Centre
Due to the faithfulness of Nomasango and her staff, Sibongile has
been continuously blessed by God. Currently, there is one container facility in
Phkamisa, Khayelitsha and a spacious house in Llitha Park, Khayelitsha which houses
12 of the children.
The staff are all women from the community who have
a great heart for the children. Their daily responsibilities range from tending
to their physical and medical needs as well as performing basic physiotherapy.
Motivated local and international volunteers, who come in for several hours per
day or week, also help in stimulating the children mentally and physically.
Cerebral
Palsy
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a general term for brain damage conditions
that cause physical, and often mental disability. CP is caused by damage to the
motor control centre of the young developing brain and can occur due to complications
during pregnancy, birth or after birth up to age three. The children at Sibongile
generally suffer from heavy CP, resulting in spasticity, spasms, epilepsy, blindness,
speech disorders, eating problems, mental retardation and other conditions which
make them vulnerable and dependent on specialized, loving care.
Why
is a Care Centre needed?
Due to the time-consuming special care that CP
children need, many parents in the community of Khayelitsha and other townships
are unable to care properly for their disabled child. Some face social and cultural
pressure from their neighbours and family who despise the children and their parents
or believe they have been cursed by a witch doctor. The high rate of teenage pregnancies
adds to the problem. Often, disabled children are abandoned or hidden away and
neglected, which causes their physical and emotional condition to deteriorate
further. Consequently there is a desperate need for care centres such as Sibongile,
where these special children are given professional, loving care by people who
see them for what they are - children of God.
Sibongile Day & Night
Care Centre
Phakamisa
33 Nonkxwe Street
Khayelitsha 7784
Contact
Numbers
0213613441 (Sibongile office Phakamisa)
0823478506 (Nomasango) |
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