While the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities’ (NCPD) ‘Share a smile’ campaign runs until the end of March, the organisation has shared its Casual Day success and the impact it had on the lives of those affected by gender-based violence (GBV).

According to the NCPD’s national director, Therina Wentzel, one of the dilemmas facing people with disabilities, who are GBV survivors, is that the police often do not have the resources (interpreters and accessible facilities) or the knowledge to adequately take up and open abuse cases.

“This is especially so when the victim can’t speak well or has a neurological or intellectual impairment. As such, many cases are not registered and justice doesn’t prevail as the cases never go to court,” says Wentzel.

Fortunately, various SAPS members countrywide are reaching out to the NCPD for support with sensitisation and training.

“We have a tailored programme to address this life-threatening situation, presented by a team of experienced people who themselves have impairments,” says Wentzel.

She explains that the programme provides theoretical support and practical assistance and equips police officers to support and open cases with confidence.

“As the SAPS does not have a budget for the training, Casual Day supporters’ R20 contributions have enabled the NCPD to train 367 police officers from the Northern Cape, Gauteng, the Free State and Polokwane.

“While some used their own facilities to train, others came to the organisation’s training centre or trained online.”

Since the training took place, the NCPD’s information and helpline has received significantly fewer complaints about the police from these areas.

Casual Day supporters also made a difference by enabling the NCPD to train court preparation officers who work directly with persons with disabilities.

“It is difficult for court preparation officers to deal with people with a range of different impairments when they do not have any background,” says Wentzel.

“Our team has trained 234 court preparation officers this year from various provinces, but mostly the Northern Cape and Free State. They responded well to the interactive training sessions and requested the NCPD to offer training to their counterparts in other parts of the country and officers of the judiciary,” she adds.

The campaign proceeds are also channelled to people with disabilities at schools, homes and workshops, represented by the participating beneficiary organisations.

Overwhelming support

The NCPD is moved by the overwhelming support received for Casual Day and expresses its gratitude to every person, place of worship, non-profit organisation, government department, company, corporation and school that played a pivotal role in ensuring the campaign’s success.

“We tip our hats to our wonderful retail partners, their customers and staff who diligently collected Casual Day sticker donations at their tills countrywide, including Clicks, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Jet, JAM Clothing, The HUB, Loot.co.za and Eskort.

“A heartfelt thank you to Caxton Local Media and its dedicated journalists for their invaluable support of Casual Day 2023. Their commitment to spotlighting persons with disabilities in numerous local communities has been instrumental in amplifying our cause and message of inclusivity. Through impactful storytelling, they have shed light on the challenges and triumphs faced by persons with disabilities, fostering awareness within our diverse society,” says Wentzel.

While an audit of the final amount raised is underway, preliminary data suggests it may pass the amount raised last year.

“Rather than waiting for the conclusive figures, we couldn’t contain our gratitude and needed to express our deep appreciation,” says Wentzel, explaining that every ‘Share a smile’ T-shirt, cap and bucket hat purchased made a difference.

“From the thousands of photographs received across our channels, we saw that the country truly came together in solidarity and support of persons with disabilities,” says Wentzel.

Keep your eye on Casual Day’s Facebook page where the total amount raised will be posted in early 2024. The photo competition results will also be announced on the page.

30-year celebration

Next year marks a double celebration as South Africa celebrates 30 years of democracy and Casual Day celebrates 30 years of making an impact.

“As we prepare to unveil our exciting 2024 theme, we eagerly look forward to celebrating three decades of making a significant and lasting difference with our supporters,” says Wentzel.