Youtube videos van wat ons doen by Kuierkidz:
Die Kuierkidz Leersentrum, ‘n nie-winsgewende opleidingsentrum vir breingestremde kinders, het Augustus 08 sy deure geopen en die reaksie en hulp van die Hartbeespoort inwoners het alle verwagtinge oortref. Die sentrum is begin nadat die predikant van die Kuierkerk/NG kerk, ds. Anton van Zyl, genader is deur ouers van Hartbeespoort wie se gestremde kinders Brits of Pretoria toe moes ry vir gepaste skole. Anton, wie se eie seun, Sean-Jacques (op daardie stadium 17), breingestremd is sedert 'n jong ouderdom, het saam met die ouers dadelik begin met
die sentrum se beplanning. En sedertdien kyk hulle nie terug nie.Die sentrum neem kinders in met ‘n wye verskeidenheid verskillende kondisies soos outisme, down-sindroom lyers, asook ander tipe breingestremdhede. Die gedagte is dat die kinders voordeel kan geniet van stimulasie van al hul sintuie maar veral van sosialisering met maatjies wat hulle verstaan, aangesien daar nie eintlik sulke skole bestaan wat kinders bedien met erg breingestremdhede nie. Elke kind het 'n fassiliteerder wat persoonlike aandag en terapie gee sodat kinders hul maksimum potensiaal kan bereik. Anton sê dat die plan ook EENDAG is om kinders wat klaarmaak met Meerhofskool en sukkel om elders werk of opleiding te kry, te akkommodeer met werk en opleiding as ons fasiliteite en fondse dit toelaat. Daar is 'n groot behoefte vir so 'n opleidingsentrum.
Ons sentrum het vir lank slegs 7 kinders akkommordeer maar begin 2014 het ons die dinamiese oud-skoolhoof, Rene Coetzee aangestel om die skool reg te ruk. Sedertdien het ons gegroei tot 21 kinders en 11 tutors wat gereeld indiensopleiding kry om die beste vir ons kinders te kan bied. Rene' het die SNAP (Special needs adapted program) program wat wyd gebruik word, aangepas sodat die kinders nie slegs een-tot-een aandag kry nie maar ook tussen elf 'stasies' rond beweeg op n daaglikse basis. Sy evalueer kinders en skryf programme landswyd vir kinders wat nie so gelukkig is om naby n skool te wees nie. Dis belangrik dat kinders daagliks gestimuleer word met verskillende soorte terapie wat taalvaardigheid insluit. Die kinders moet kans kry vir sosialiseer en moet hul menswaardigheid moet behou te alle tye. Die skool het in ‘n huis in Ifafi begin en kon begin 2009 trek na ‘n perseel wat Meerhofskool goedgunstiglik op ‘n langtermynbasis aan hul beskikbaar gestel het. ‘n Myngroep en individue het begin help met toerusting en ook tydelike geboue en gras. Ons was so gelukkig om begin 2016 te trek na n huis in Melodie in Hartbeespoort wat ideaal vir ons sentrum is. Ons droom is om die perseel aan te skaf en later ook as n tehuis vir oorslaap te gebruik.
Die koste vir ‘n kind per maand om sodanige individuele terapie te ontvang beloop R5000 en ons ouers betaal hiervan R2500. Daar is heelwat kinders wat nie die skoolgeld of private terapeute kan bekostig nie en daarom is ons skool altyd opsoek na borge of donasies om die kinders voldoende te kan help. Die Kuierkidz leersentrum is ‘n nie-winsgewende organisasie wat poog om kinders met ernstige breinbeserings ‘n voller lewe te gee deur hulle basiese lewenstake aan te leer. Ons waardeer enige bydrae of donasies om ons maandelikse onkostes te dek.Ons is tans dringend op soek na borge van R3000 per maand wat sal dien as skoolgeld vir brein-gestremde kinders wie se ouers nie die skoolgeld kan bekostig nie, en wat die kinders andersins tuis los onder toesig van 'n bediende. Hier kry hul geen terapie, sosialisering of ontwikkeling nie.
Help asseblief on 'n breingestremde kindjie se lewe aan te raak.
Ons inligting:
NPO number:
083-526. PBO nr. 930054687
KUIERKIDZ
SPECIAL NEEDS CENTRE – The Life of an Entrepreneur
KUIERKIDZ SPECIAL NEEDS CENTRE
By Rene van Zyl 2 years ago
A NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION: BIG CHALLENGES
A NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION: BIG CHALLENGES
In 2008 when Reverend Anton van Zyl and his wife,
René, thought of starting a centre for severely disabled children in Hartbeespoort,
they had no idea how big a business challenge it would turn out to be.
Anton explains: “The business model for a non-profit is completely
different from any normal small business. Any centre for special needs or
handicapped people is very expensive to operate and turn over. We had to model
around three pillars which were a delicate balancing act. Our three income
streams that would float the boat were: affordable school fees; regular
fundraisers; and consistent donations from the business sector. The fourth
element that made everything possible, was the numerous volunteers.
From the start it was clear that the entire project
was dependent on the whole community: churches, businesses and even local
schools became role players. Strategically we could only operate as a private
entity that was directed by the parent’s council, with a high dependency on a
few willing and over-worked parents.
One of our biggest challenges is that all three income
streams are all very volatile. But through the years we made good friends with
a few companies that supported us wholeheartedly. Later we were challenged with
the long-term security and size of the property that we rented. The time is now
to go big and go permanent. We need a bigger property, a forever home, where
the learners eventually can reside permanently when their parents can’t look
after them any longer. For this we registered a trust, Deo Volente, to start
saving for a permanent place of residence.”
In the meantime, one of the parents is busy turning a
building on his smallholding into a temporary facility for the centre, because
they need a place from December to use until the dream of a forever home
actualizes.
Kuierkidz is registered as a non-profit organisation.
The parents still have to work hard to get funding and donations, because it is
so expensive to run a basic centre privately with no government input. The cost
per child for attending weekdays in the mornings are actually around R6000 per
month, but the school fees are only R2900 per month to keep it reasonable.
Therefore, ongoing fundraising is crucial. With a special needs child, parents
have more expenses than with other children: diapers, doctors, medicine, extra
therapy, wheelchairs, operations, caretakers, etc. For most of them it is
financially almost impossible to keep their child in school, but they try their
best because it is for the benefit and happiness of their child. Medical funds
do not cover all of the expenses.
A little bit of history: Kuierkidz started in 2008
after Rev. Anton van Zyl and his wife felt the need for their brain-injured
son, Sean-Jacques (at the time 15) to be able to visit a centre in
Hartbeespoort where he could get socially and physically stimulated. Such
facilities are not very common and also very expensive. They started the centre
with Sean (who was left brain-injured after he suffered from a brain virus at
the age of 15 months) and the daughter of their friends who also had special
needs. They started out small with two helpers and quickly grew into a school
with seven children and five helpers with no prior special needs experience,
working for small salaries. These kids can’t cope in a class with more than one
or two pupils. Meerhof School offered them a piece of land to use to get
properly started. Since Anton had an independent church, Kuierkerk, many people
in the community knew them and helped with prefab buildings, Wendy houses,
taking care of the gardens, etc.
Fundraising functions and annual golf days are ongoing
ways to keep the school doors open, because this private facility doesn’t
receive any government funding. The school kept on surviving but soon more and
more children wanted to enrol and the demand for a bigger facility and more
tutors grew. Basic administration was being done, but the centre was far from
being a proper school, even though a variety of experienced therapists offered
training for the tutors. In 2014 René (Veertjie) Coetzee who was headmistress
of a major primary school in Johannesburg, but had to retire a few years earlier
because of colon cancer, decided to help Kuierkidz with basic administration
and organisation, asking no compensation at all.
After all these years Veertjie is still with them, she
is cancer free (a miracle on its own) and is still working for no remuneration.
And she gives her all. She understands the special needs children, attend
training sessions (online or physically) whenever she can; she constantly trains
the tutors, keeps them motivated and keep the parents updated. René evaluates
the children and writes individual programmes, keeping their strengths and
challenges in mind. She uses a therapeutic model, SNAP – a special needs
adapted program. Kuierkidz would not survive as a business, if not for the
likes of people like Veertjie and the community who help in many ways to keep
their doors open. For information or donations or for any fundraising ideas,
please contact them at Kuierkidz101@gmail.com or phone them at 079 626 9859.
By René and Anton van Zyl
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