Holistic Support to Children in Rural South Africa

INCLUSION

Thanda’s Inclusion Programme provides children who have learning and developmental challenges to continue growing to reach their own potential. Where possible, we give them the opportunity to learn in the same environment as their peers. We go two steps further, though, by also visiting these children at home to offer support to their whole household and work in partnership with their guardians, and by bringing awareness to their neighbourhood (through Neighbourhood Learning Circles) and the community at large (through clinic/ community awareness events). Beyond building individual skills, our model therefore aims to help children with disabilities feel a greater sense of belonging in their community.

In 2025 the programme experienced an approximate 30% growth in enrollment with 32 children participating in the programme.

We used a tool built by partner organization to assess the children’s progress (and thereby the efficacy of our programming) in 2025 and the results showed that 69% of the children in the 1-5 year old age group developed in a notable way in 2025. Their improvements are visible in the graph at the end of this report.

We are excited to see that our programming is having a positive impact on the lives of the children we support.

But our excitement does not stop there. In 2025, we also introduced a completely new programme…

RESPITE

Our Respite Programme is an offshoot of the Inclusion Programme and is a new, specially-funded programme, introduced in 2025. It provides guardians (caregivers) of children with Cerebral Palsy who don’t attend school a break (temporary relief) to enhance the guardian’s well-being. The idea being that having a few hours in which they do not have to actively attend to and care for their children provides them with mental space and increased resilience to continue carrying out the myriad tasks and caring activities that are required of them on a daily basis. This small break gives them rest and the space enables them to be better guardians to their children and reduces the possibility of burn out.

The Respite Programme is based at Thanda’s Community Centre and, once a month, the children are transported to the Community Centre to take part in a structured Cerebral Palsy- based curriculum with specialized activities without their guardians. In addition to offering rest to their guardians, this allows children to participate in and develop social connections with peers and facilitators.

The Respite Programme launched in January 2025, and the children needed to be measured for specialized equipment by an occupational therapist who also compiled therapy plans for each child. A motivation letter was sent by the OT to the supplier who builds the equipment and from there the supplier assessed the need and designed the furniture. The specialised equipment was custom-made to each child’s measurements and particular needs, including posture chairs and standing desks, which allowed them to be supported in a change of position (as the children spend most of their time lying down or propped up by pillows at home). The furniture build took quite some time as each child also received a matching set of furniture for home use. As soon as the furniture was ready in May 2025 we were able to begin our sessions. We had 4 children enrolled for this initial cohort so that we could test and refine the programme to iron out any kinks and challenges before inviting more children to enroll. We also procured sensory toys for each child and items like a blender as food needs to be blended for them to eat.

The first sessions were a great success with Siyakwazi attending alongside our facilitators to guide us. Guardians also attended with their children for the first session to demonstrate how to go about fulfilling their individual child’s daily needs eg. the administration of medicine, feeding, toileting and any other specific needs. It also helped the guardians understand where their children would be and under whose care they would rest to give them the peace of mind their children are in safe hands whilst away from their caregivers.

The programme is much more intensive than anything that Thanda has previously offered in the realm of Inclusion as it involves many moving parts, from transporting the children to the community centre, to putting them in posture chairs, to administering medication and changing their nappies. Our facilitators were well trained by Siyakwazi to take on the tasks required of them (there is a 1:1 ratio of facilitator to participant in this programme). We also provided parents with individual support programmes to offer guidance in how to best build on activities and skills learned by their children at the programme, in their own homes

Over the course of 2025, the changes have been remarkable. When we started in May, three of the four children attending the programme had never sat up unsupported by another human being and had never had the opportunity to stand up either. The programme has changed their lives by providing them with the means to either sit or stand or both! In the beginning they were scared and unsure of the unfamiliar environment and equipment designed for them to stand or sit, however, by the end of the year, the picture was completely different. The children are comfortable and confident. They clearly enjoy the monthly engagement and banter with facilitators, notable in their relaxed demeanour and smiling faces. Equally, the guardians are far more relaxed with Thanda transporting their children and hosting them on programme days. They are enjoying the respite day they receive once per month. The programme has been seen as such an enormous success that, at the request of the guardians, in 2026 the programme is being hosted every 2 weeks.