Mother leads foundation to support children with learning challenges
A mother who faced her child’s scoliosis journey now leads the I Matter Foundation, raising awareness, offering screenings, and supporting families dealing with learning disabilities.
As a mother of a child diagnosed with scoliosis, Nomasonto Motsitsi knows only too well what it is like not being able to understand the challenge and not to have support.
“Learning disabilities contribute to so many social ills,” Nomasonto told the Advertiser.
However, she refused to concede defeat and set about obtaining a B.Ed Honours in Learning Support so she could assist her daughter.
In an effort to reach out to others, in 2016 she founded the I Matter Foundation (IMF) which serves as a safe haven for parents to voice their frustrations.
“Many parents don’t even know there are occupational therapists and speech therapists trained to help children with disabilities,” she remarked.
The Foundation serves as a facility to educate people about the services that are available; however, it is not enough, as educators in schools are not trained to identify learning disabilities.
Nomasonto and her team visit various schools where they make learners and educators aware of the various learning disabilities, offering screening to identify any problem areas.
She also emphasised how people make fun of children in Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) schools, such as Tugela Pre-Vocational School in Newcastle and Bumbisizwa Special School in Madadeni.
In 2022, IMF collaborated with the Department of Social Development (DSD) to fund community viable community programmes.
Over half of IMF’s staff are people with physical- and or learning disabilities – making them more relatable in understanding the struggle so many in the community have to endure.
Together, they give create opportunities for people with disabilities to get employed and offer various programmes to empower those with disabilities.
“Early identification is crucial, especially in the Foundation Phase,” emphasised Nomasonto. She added that many juvenile facilities house children with learning disabilities; however, with early detection and the necessary support, these juvenile outcasts can become very successful adults.
If anybody in the community wants to get involved with the IMF, or donate to their cause (money and otherwise), please contact Nomasonto on 027 71 699 5552.
Photo: Newcastle Advertiser / Anika Sanders
The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel
