The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints made a generous donation of assistive devices which will benefit about 3 300 people living with disabilities in KwaZulu Natal. The donated items include 900 wheelchairs, 900 mobility devices, the training of 32 occupational therapists to correctly fit patients to devices, and the rollout of three wheelchair repair workshops in rural areas.
The handover of the variety of assistive devices worth more R5.4 Million took place at the KwaZulu-Natal Children’s Hospital at Durban South Beach on Thursday, 16 March. The donated devices will be distributed to the entire province over a three-year period.
The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department will extend the much needed distribution of assistive devices to the beneficiaries.
Sibongiseni Msane, who leads the SADEC region of this global church said: “We see ourselves as the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. Wherever we identify a humanitarian aid required, we try by all means to assist. Today we are joining hands with the KZN Department of Health to assist in identifying all heavenly sons and daughters with disability devices such as wheelchairs, walking sticks, white sticks for the blinds, for them to be able to move around doing their daily chores, assisting them to better their lives and enabling them to find new or expand opportunities to prosper in their lives.”
The church has been partnering with the KZN Department of Health since 2011 and the agreement was renewed in 2019 due to the effectiveness of the programme.
One of the wheelchair beneficiaries, Alzinah Zulu said: “I was sick and had to be wheelchair-bound at the age of 7 years. At some point in my life I was pushed through an old wheelbarrow even to school. I have had to rewrite my matric because I once failed when I could not reach to the exam centre during examination time. The wheelbarrow that I was pushed by broke on my way to school. I have endured different wheelchairs in my life in different ages. Through the donation from the church, I made an application and therapists came to do measurements and interviewed me to ascertain my life, as well as the areas that I need to reach, at home and at work. The wheelchair I have now is perfect for my movement at home and at work,” Zulu testified.
Receiving the donation on behalf of the KZN MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane, acting deputy director general Penny Msimang said the donation would go a long way to assist needy members of society. “We have a list of disabled persons waiting for different assistive devices, which the department might have taken a long time to assist. Through this donation, a huge portion on that list will be covered. Notably, such assistive devices will assist mainly disabled women who still bear the responsibility of moving around as mothers. Some beneficiaries are working and this will assist them in moving easily, especially since these are specialised devices and are measured accordingly to fit the needs of the beneficiary,” Msimang said.
