Christmas came early for the children of Dasha
"Parents must not be ashamed of the children who are living with disability,a child is gift from God."
MBOMBELA – This season is regarded as a time of giving. Christmas came early for the children of Dasha disabled centre. This comes after officials of the South African Local Government Association’s (SALGA) unexpected visit at the centre and the toys that were distributed.
“Not so long ago, we were celebrating a month for people with disabilities,” said Salga’s R Sipho Thwala. He said it was important to treat people both with love and respect, “We felt that we need to celebrate this season with the children because in our communities, there are still people who find it very difficult to accept people who are living with disabilities,” he said.
He added that in some communities, there are parents
who give them a hard time. “Sometimes they are hiding their children just
because they are disabled. This is totally unacceptable. A child is a gift from
God. What we are doing here is a way of showing them that we really love them.
Parents must not be ashamed,“ he pointed out.
The visit of the officials is part of the organisation’s campaign of the 16 Days of Activism Against Women and Child Abuse which started on November 25 to December 10.
SALGA started it by encouraging women to speak out when they are abused at home. During the gathering at Louiville at Thusong Centre in Barberton, Ms Sibongile Mnisi from
SALGA said, “It was about time for women to unite and speak with one voice
against women and child abuse. It’s very painful that we are abused by the very
same people who love us, but that doesn’t mean that we must not report them,”
she emphased
