We would like to purchase this bus to transport our residents to and from hospitals and clinics for their medical appointment. We would also use this bus to transport Blind students who are doing their Matric Re-write Programmes, in partnership with the City Deep Adult Centre, and they have to be transported to and from the college on a daily basis, accompanied by their tutors.
The residential facility was built more than 80 years ago and can house 100 blind people. However, due to the building's age, it requires maintenance, including re-, plumbing repairs, and painting of the rooms. At the Johannesburg Society for the Blind, we work to keep the building in good condition. We need to upgrade our security system in light of the recent break-ins, and we want to add CCTV cameras to help SAPS catch criminals. Additionally, we need 40 new single or 3/4 beds.
JSB aims to offer educational opportunities to visually impaired youth in response to their exclusion from mainstream education centers. The initiative has three goals:
To improve the employment of the visually impaired, the organization opened the Training Academy in 2009, which offers accredited training on the following:
The Complete Your Matric Project was developed to assist visually impaired youth in attaining their matric. The first intake for the Matriculation program had eight candidates, who registered a 100 percent pass rate in results released by the Department of Basic Education in July 2012. The impressive Matric results clearly show that given the right opportunities and support, youth with visual impairment can also make major contributions to the social-economic development of South Africa.
In 2019, enrolment increased to 21 students as part of JSB’s broader aim to create a demand for schooling opportunities for youth with visual impairments. This will contribute to minimizing the lack of access that visually impaired individuals have to training and educational opportunities. This reality is perpetuated by, to name a few contributors, a lack of resources and commitment from the authorities, inadequately trained educators, and limited access to Education and Training facilities catering to the specific and unique needs of people living with disabilities. The current intake is 21 Students in the 2020/2021 financial year.
The Matriculation project is linked to the other training streams at JSB: End-User Computer and Call Centre training. These courses promote access to on-the-job training, employment, and opportunities for self-employment. We also have 4 blind residents who completed their Social Auxiliary work training and amongst them, one has been absorbed to practice at Johannesburg Society for the Blind and one amongst the four is practicing at NOBSA, another resident is pursuing her BA in Psychology (Hons), and 1 resident pursuing a Diploma in Adult Education through Unisa.
Thus, apart from income and employment opportunities, the education and skills development initiative also brings personal and social benefits, adding to a sense of human dignity among the visually impaired youth.
21 Notebooks which may cost up to R 100 000.00 for the learners and their tutors. The laptops will be beneficiary for the Blind students to do their school work at the college, as a pilot of inclusive education in partnership with the City Deep Adult School.
There is also a need for the leaners to engage themselves in extra mural activities after their lessons. This is not just for pleasure but also assists in keeping their minds and bodies physically fit. Therefore, the organisation is currently in need for funds to buy resources that would be used for the extra mural activities which includes Goal ball kit, Blind cricket kit and musical instruments for choir purpose. All this could cost up to R 160 000.00.
The 'HIV & AIDS Sees No Disability' project was developed by JSB to address the social aspects of disability and HIV/AIDS. It aims to address the gaps between mainstream society and the blind in terms of access to HIV/AIDS services. We were able to deliver the following papers at various conferences thanks to the project:
Financial limitations have prevented JSB from lobbying at all of the venues where it has been given the chance to do so; for example, members were unable to attend the World AIDS Conference in Washington.
In order to provide stimulation and to prepare blind children for primary school, the organization also established an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Center. It can hold up to ten kids who are blind or visually challenged.
The Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Africa Conference's final program graciously approved JSB's poster presentation on the topic of "Vulnerability of Blind Children." The abstract described JSB's Early Childhood Development project, which focuses on young children with vision impairment because of how their condition makes them more likely to miss out on educational opportunities. This occurs because it is common for children with visual impairment to be excluded from ECD, which has an impact on enrollment in schools. Due to the transportation difficulties parents experienced when bringing their children to the center daily, this initiative was put on hold.
In collaboration with the Foundation for Human Rights, JSB launched a fundraising campaign for human rights awareness through events. To raise awareness of the socioeconomic rights of women with disabilities, this needs to be done. In acknowledgment of their special circumstances and the increased risk of HIV infection in this subpopulation, JSB has committed to improving the quality of life for women with visual impairment and achieving social justice. Since then, the initiative has continued, and in 2014–2015, the Foundation for human rights provided funding once more.
This organization targets people with visual impairments in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal. Johannesburg is where it has its headquarters. The organization serves both rural and urban areas in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, but mostly metropolitan areas in Gauteng.
The Johannesburg Society for the Blind needs to improve its operations and push the group in the direction of independence. In order to advance social service programs for people with visual impairment, we must adapt and reevaluate how they can help to survival, both in the short and long terms. This is due to the drying up of the donor funding model. The current situation suggests ongoing difficulties with donor finance. The country's NGO's are typically having financial issues as a result of the worldwide economic crisis, from which South Africa has not been spared, as donations continue to significantly decline.
We, therefore, aim to open an African Cuisine Restaurant; we hope that this project will bring in a daily cash flow to assist the needs of Blind people. Our research indicated that we have a high volume of traffic and we are surrounded by industrial areas but there is only one fish and chips shop in the area. Cooked African meals will be a winner in this area. We have started by converting a portion of an unused building to accommodate the kitchen as well as the sitting area for the restaurant as per the requirements of the Environmental Health Department. The plumbing has been completed, the electricity is there and the internal painting has been done. However, we still need to do the external painting and decorate the outside walls in African colors. We also need resources for the restaurant such as; the industrial electric stove with oven, 4 plate gas stove, Two freezers, Two industrial refrigerators, Eco display Curved Glass fridge, Top Griller, Hot food bar, Commercial Microwave, double bowl and double port sink, Blender, Trolleys, Six variety ports, Eight variety sizes pans, Electric urn, Coffee Machine, Blender, Crockery and Juice dispenser. All this equipment is estimated to be valued at R 350 000. 00
We have a laundry room that we use to do the laundry of our residents. We have an idea of converting it into a laundromat for the neighborhood, at a fee, as part of the sustainability project. Clients will drop their laundry off and collect it. Two staff members will have to be sent in for training so that they are knowledgeable about how to do the costing to run the project and generate a profit. The Laundromat will create two job opportunities. We will seek to employ people with other disabilities. The current equipment in the laundry room is ancient, but still in working condition, hence we will only require two commercial washers, one commercial dryer, and a presser. These machines will have to be bought, once the Laundromat is operational.
Due to the humanitarian work that we do we will continue to seek donor funding, but the aim is to create substantial reserves so that the organisation will continue to operate, post the donor funding model.
Art Programme
A remarkable young female director, performer, and community theatre practitioner presents "The Stories We See," a hugely popular disability advocacy show. This ground-breaking production, which debuted in 2021 and is still running today, has won over audiences with its innovative strategy.
"The Stories We See" is the product of a special partnership between abled adolescents from The Joburg Child Welfare Themabalethu Play Project and disabled youth from our organization, The Johannesburg Society for The Blind. The cast members tirelessly practice in their designated areas each day, joining together on Fridays and occasionally on Saturdays for joint rehearsals. This outstanding show has graced numerous theaters, community centers, and events across Johannesburg over the last two years.
We truly believe that performance training for adolescents develops critical abilities in acting, public speaking, and vocal projection in addition to fostering confidence. Children use play as a sort of work to explore and solve problems on a daily basis. Play is not just for adolescents to do for fun. Additionally, playing, acting, and singing can help youth deal with the challenges the pandemic has brought them and lessen the surge in mental health disorders.
Drama as a kind of art encourages empathy for many characters, ethnicities, beliefs, and lifestyles. Through their participation in "The Stories We See," youngsters gain and put into practice important abilities including self-discipline, clear communication, tolerance, and mutual respect. The exercises carried out during rehearsals have made a significant difference for the participants, empowering them to grow both personally and artistically.
We are happy to announce that during the forthcoming June-July school break, "The Stories We See" will perform for five days at The National Arts Festival in Makhanda. This esteemed opportunity will include a seven-day tour, enabling the production to be in front of more people and leave a lasting impression.
Donations to our Back A Buddy fundraising campaign for National Art Festival Trip will help us continue to bring "The Stories We See" to life as we celebrate the transforming power of theater.