By Odette Swift | Project Leader and School Principal
Background of our school
Fulton School for the Deaf is a public (state) special school for Deaf children. We are located in KwaZulu Natal Province and provide education for Deaf children from pre-school to Grade 12. Currently, 56 learners who stay too far from the school or from the daily transport route, stay in our school hostels. Over 90% of our learners receive social grants provided by the government as they come from impoverished and working-class families. It is our vision to provide education that caters for the needs of every individual Deaf child at our school so that they are equipped to succeed at school and in life.
GlobalGiving Campaign
Sadly, our GlobalGiving campaign has still not received any donations. Unfortunately, due to the South African government financial crisis, the state has not replaced 2 of our administration clerks who were supporting our fundraising efforts. The heavy administrative burden of running the school has resulted in minimal time to effectively push the campaign.
Other fundraising initiatives
In the interim, our school has continued with other fundraising initiatives. These include our Annual Fun Day which was held on 2 March 2024, cake sales and civvies days which have assisted to raise funds to assist us with the payment of operational costs associated with running a residential school.
At the end of 2023 our hostel Matron retired and, like other non-educator staff, was not replaced by the state. The School Governing Body made the decision to outsource the catering services of the school and it has been an excellent relationship. The catering team from GoDeli have arranged wine tastings and functions and always request that a donation is made to the school per ticket sold. Their connection to a local monthly arts class has led to a new lease of life in the hostel diningroom – the drab white walls now covered with a rainbow and butterflies and trees. We are so thankful to them and to the many other individuals and companies who partner with our school to make it possible to ensure excellent education for Deaf children from all backgrounds.
We have also received amazing support from the JP Esterhuysen Trust who assisted us with building of new art classrooms in the High School. These fresh spaces which are now conveniently located in the high school section of the school have made such a difference to the coherent layout of the school. They also assisted with the building of additional learner toilets in an area of the school which was previously not used as extensively for classes.
Our ongoing request to sponsor a Deaf child’s education
In 2024, we still receive no support at all for the running of our school hostel, yet many learners would benefit enormously from the excellent nutrition, comfortable and safe living environment, regular routine and academic, emotional and social support that is provided to our boarders.
Our ongoing request is for hostel support for our learners – especially the young ones and those in the Skills Programme. Businesses in South Africa are incentivised to provide financial support for education and training for learners in Grades 10 to 12, but not so for younger learners or those following the Technical Occupational Curriculum.
We remain committed to providing excellence in Deaf education for all our learners but can only do so with the support of our donors. We thank you for considering donating to this project so that we can continue to help give our Deaf learners the futures they dream of and SO deserve!
By Odette Swift | School Principal
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