Tshepong Centre for the Disabled, since 1996 is the only community facility to serve children with disability (physical and mental) in Refilwe, a semi-rural area which includes of Refilwe, Onverwacht, and the informal area of eastern Mamelodi. The area is classified as one of “Twenty Prioritised Townships Project” by Gauteng Legislature and the community is described as being poorest of the poor with over 80% of the residents being reliant on grants as unemployment is restricted to two employers. Currently 45 children and youth with mental disability attend the Centre which receives a subsidy from Department of Health (Gauteng Mental Health) . The ethos of the organization does not allow any child in need of support to be turned away regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE TO:  Provide therapeutic specialised care and stimulation to children and youth with disabilities.  Provide training to care givers caring for children and youth with disability  Involve the disabled in community development processes  Ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the management of the centre.  Where necessary to refer children for more specialized core/treatment at secondary or tertiary level  Market abilities of children with disabilities and services rendered to them.  Enhance awareness of this minority group’s existence, needs and rights  Advocate access to education, training and information  Create awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities, to stop seeing disabilities as an object of pity, but as capable individuals that immensely contribute to the development of society. ACTIVITIES WE PROVIDE TO CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH MENTAL DISABILITIES The main activities of the learning development methods practiced at Tshepong is to remove artificial boundaries between education and training by integrating theoretical and practical learning, teaching and therapy methods. The Centres provides learning and therapy relevant to the needs of individual learners with disabilities promoting language, motor skills, elementary problem-solving, relationship building and basic skills by providing stimulation and therapy. CARING SECTION  Specialised care and programmes for children with profoundly disabilities - Autism, Cerebral Palsy, mental syndromes and multi-disabilities  Specialised programmes in classes with small ratios of caregiver: beneficiary, ensuring individual attention. Beneficiaries are grouped according to their own personal intellectual and development levels, and not age level.  Indigenous language therapy  Individual programmes developed by Occupational ECD Therapist with Home Based Programmes CARING AND SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT SECTIONS  Daily nutritional feeding programmes (breakfast, snack and lunch) with Holiday food parcels for vulnerable poorest of the poor families  Development of Life and Social skills  Subsidised Transportation  Equipped Classrooms including Toy Library and Sports Library  Social Services - Parents support and counseling services by Social Workers and Assistance with screening and processing of social and disability grants  Music therapists – cessionary based  Physical exercise programmes including daily gross motor and sensory motor exercise  Special Olympics Participation  Educational outings  Practitioner and Volunteer Capacity Building SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT SECTIONS  Protective Workshops for youth and adults with disabilities  Job Coaching Programmes  Horticulture and Greening education and life and job skills  Income generation programme OUR OBJECTIVES ARE TO:  Provide therapeutic specialised care and stimulation to children and youth with disabilities.  Provide training to care givers caring for children and youth with disability  Involve the disabled in community development processes  Ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the management of the centre.  Where necessary to refer children for more specialized core/treatment at secondary or tertiary level  Market abilities of children with disabilities and services rendered to them.  Enhance awareness of this minority group’s existence, needs and rights  Advocate access to education, training and information  Create awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities, to stop seeing disabilities as an object of pity, but as capable individuals that immensely contribute to the development of society. Our doors are always open to welcome visitors, to share the difference we make in the lives of our children with different abilities.