The Women’s International Zionist Organisation (WIZO) recently enhanced the life of five-year-old Bontle Tshabalala by donating a customised wheelchair from Israel, which will help her to move around more easily. Tshabalala has cerebral palsy and cannot walk unaided.
The wheelchair will allow her to join her family on walks, and give her a comfortable chair to sit in without the danger of falling out.
The chair was handed over at Tshabalala’s school, Special Moments Daycare, in Kempton Park which caters for learners with autism, Down Syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other disabilities. The school aims to give each child with a learning barrier every opportunity to have an education, from Grade R to Grade 7. The staff heard about WIZO’s Wheelchairs of Hope initiative, and reached out on behalf of Tshabalala and her family.
Wheelchairs of Hope were developed by specialist Israeli doctors and engineers from ALYN Hospital, Israel’s leading paediatric and adolescent rehabilitation centre, with the simple desire to “empower education through mobility”. Aimed at children from five to nine years old who have upper-body strength and weigh up to 40kg, these colourful, ergonomically-designed wheelchairs are lightweight and robust enough to handle urban and country terrains.
If you know of a child who may be a good candidate for one of WIZO’s Wheelchairs of Hope, please contact Lauren on 011 645 2515.
