Meropa throws centre a much needed lifeline

MEROPA Casino and Entertainment World has started massive work at Reakgona Disability Centre, where it is renovating and refurbishing one of Reakgona’s oldest and self-built residences.

When Meropa evaluated the home some two years ago, it was no longer conducive for habitation, not in a suitable condition to house some of Limpopo’s intellectually impaired young people, lacking the necessary security and not proper to serve as a stimulation home.

It was after meetings and discussions with the centre management and the beneficiaries that Meropa decided to embrace the home.

Meropa’s involvement with the centre is to develop the home, which was recently named Meropa House, into a stimulus and state-of-the-art home for intellectually and physically challenged young people.

Reakgona Disability Centre is a hub for intellectually impaired adults. The centre was established in February 1998 with 22 adults who came from Grace and Hope School, a pioneering school for the mentally handicapped which was founded and established by parents of disabled children.

While Grace and Hope met their needs, when learners reached the age of 18, they needed to move onto the next phase of their lives. Reakgona has filled this necessary gap by providing life skills for residents.

Today, Reakgona serves 154 clients from across Limpopo, caring and training for all spectrum of mental disability.

Apart from the budget set aside by Meropa’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) division, Meropa embarked on a fundraising golf challenge in October 2013, where R11 580.32 was raised and contributed towards the work at Reakgona.

So far, the building has received a new roof with ceiling, tiling, new toilets, showers, an apron, doors, new window panes, burglar doors, a septic tank, electricity connection, fencing, water system powered with a borehole and a green garden. The building has recently been furnished with beds, curtains and cupboards.

Meropa believes in working together with communities, sharing roles and responsibilities where possible, and there are certain areas in which Meropa purchased the materials and the residents assisted with labour to create a sense of ownership, and need to secure it and use it with care and diligence.

“Meropa has so far spent R788 085.85 for the renovations and refurbishments and other projects around the centre. We believe that at the end of the project, Meropa’s management and employees will be able to look at Meropa House and say we have made a lasting difference where it is needed the most,” says Mothomoni Mapela, Meropa’s CSI officer.