International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed on 3 December and aims to promote empowerment and help create real opportunities for people with disabilities.
Empowerment involves investing in people – in jobs, health, nutrition, education, and social protection. When people are empowered they are better prepared to take advantage of opportunities, they become agents of change and can more readily embrace their civic responsibilities.
Saint Giles Organisation for the Disabled in Durban is a non-profit dedicated to helping the disabled become empowered by providing multiple avenues of service and support to them.
One such avenue, their work centre, currently has 79 disabled employees who pack, sort and assemble various products. Some of these workers were once shunned by their families and hidden away because of their disabilities. But, now that they have a job, they have pride and some are even sole breadwinners in their homes.
They also have a Remedial Gymnasium, where use is free of charge subject to referral by a medical practitioner or physiotherapist and approval by the gym manager.
The gym offers remedial exercise therapy for disabled persons in the form of light and active resistance exercise. It is 100% compatible for patients confined to wheelchairs. In addition, the gym also has 2 tilt beds and specialised Motomed machines for patients suffering from lower limb immobility, as well as specialised recumbent cycles to aid post rehabilitation of all disabled persons The gym is open each weekday morning and employs staff who are qualified to provide this specialised therapy, and is currently providing treatment to an average of 37 patients per day.
Gloria (53) has been working at Saint Giles for 19 years. She says, “Getting a job at Saint Giles changed my life. Doing it for myself and not waiting for others. I paid for my sons to go to school. It has helped me so much… when my house burnt down… when my husband passed away. I am getting educated. The people are so good. I can trust them. I am so proud of Saint Giles. It is number one. There is no place better than this with what we do.”
There are an estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide who face many barriers to inclusion in society. Saint Giles strives to help people with disabilities participate in public life, create stable democracies, active citizenship and reduce inequalities in society.
Visit www.saintgiles.org.za.