Karen | Jozi 4 Autism

Hlawulo’s Take on Jozi 4 Autism’s Annual Walk

Karen — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 08:20:07 +0000

Hlawulo Maswanganyi is a volunteer telephonic counsellor at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group and a waiter at the Whippet in Linden.

He holds a BA Honours in Psychology (University of South Africa), BA Honours in Social Policy (University of Johannesburg), as well as Bachelor of Applied Social Sciences (South African College of Applied Psychology).
Hlawulo has also completed the counselling skills course with Lifeline and through SADAG he provides mental health services to callers on the SADAG suicide line.
He provides mental and emotional health services such as containment, counselling and referral to relevant services needed.

Purpose of the walk

The purpose of the walk was to bring light and awareness about autism in South African context. This took place through empowerment and mobilisation of knowledge and resources in South Africa for autism. The nature of the walk being at the zoo, provided the best context for individuals to engage and explore the nature and all the animals in the Johannesburg zoo. Walking is a great physical activity to participate in for the benefit of functional physical and mental health, this means that each individual who participated in the walk benefited a great self-help tip to maintaining positive physical and mental well-being.

How the day unfolded

The day unfolded with the preparation of the setting of the event which was conducted by Jozi4Autism team and volunteers. The collaboration work between the Johannesburg zoo team and autism volunteers made the preparation effective and efficient for the event. As the participants arrived at the zoo, volunteers welcomed by scanning each participants ticket and directing them to the start point of the walk. As the walk began the participants were directed on the route and direction of the walk that covered every part of the zoo until reaching the end point of the race.

People’s response to the event

People were very happy and excited from the beginning as they were welcomed with a smile from the gate of the zoo to the start point. People felt supported as volunteers were allocated everywhere at the zoo to make queries convenient to the people participating in the walk and attending the event. Kids were very happy as the event provided a playing ground with a variety of machines, musical instruments (drums,) and sensory physical activities. The event offered kids the environment and opportunity for kids to enhance their motor and socialisation skills with other kids, which made each and every parent happy as their observed kids in a happy-playful state. The event felt like a big family celebration were kids were running around with excitement and each and every individual socialise and building relationships based on the Agenda of the day -Autism in SA.

Schools and vendors

The schools and vendors was the heart of the event, as it was the centre of whole programme. The heart of the event provided all participants with the opportunity to learn and explore information and resources that were available about Autism and all the important facts to know about. Variety of Schools for the needy children were present to advocate and raise awareness about autism and the services offered at each school. The vendors also provided the participants with program that had guest’s speakers, a DJ that played wonderful music, talks on autism in SA and a few performers by guest artists.

My experience

I enjoyed being part of a wonderful and prosocial event such as the walk, as it raised awareness about autism in South Africa and how people’s knowledge about it matters, as any individual in one’s family or close one can be autistic. As a volunteer at the event I felt proud and happy to give my time and effort in mobilising and empowering for autism in South Africa, building my network with school and NPO’s that specialize with autism which was a benefit to my knowledge and experience with autism. Being at the zoo also gave me the opportunity to reflect on my childhood memories of school trips to the zoo and also getting to see animals face to face.

What stood out for me

The collaborative contributions by the different schools and organizations that stand for Autism. The Jozi4autism walk stood out for me as these types of event is pro-social to the community and families that have autistic individuals. The way and the context of the event was outstanding as it was very natural and calming to participants, as people got the opportunity to explore the zoo and the animals while partaking the walk.

Respite & Care

Karen — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 08:19:55 +0000

Respite can be defined as:

“A short period of rest or relief from something challenging.”

Cue parents the world over dreaming of two straight hours of peace and quiet on a Sunday afternoon. Now add a few more layers of stress in the form of special needs care, financial constraints and minimal support.

Care4u2 aims to give families who fall under these layers some much-needed respite. Jozi 4 Autism would like to support them in helping a single mom have a short break in 2022 to help her refill her mommy cup.

Please read the letter from Care4u2 for a detailed breakdown of the planned trip. If you would like to support us in our efforts to raise funds for this project, you can buy some cool merch here – Jozi 4 Autism online store.

All proceeds from sales in our online store go directly to our non-profit account and every cent will be allocated to this and future projects.

If you would prefer to donate to them directly, then please go here – Donate directly to Care4u2.

A letter from Care4u2

To whom it may concern

The Respite Care/Short Break for Indigent Parents of children living with disabilities was started in 2012 by a group of ladies who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of special needs children and their families.

Mission statement of Care4u2

The objectives are to empower and uplift the lives of cognitively and physically challenged individuals

WHAT IS RESPITE?

Respite care/short break is the provision of short-term, temporary relief to those who are caring for family members. Even though families take great joy in providing care to their loved ones at home, the physical, emotional and financial consequences for the family caregiver can be overwhelming without some support. Respite care/short break provides the much needed temporary break from the often exhausting challenges faced by the family caregiver.

Without this relief, not only can families suffer economically and emotionally, caregivers themselves may face serious health and social risks, as a result of stress associated with continuous care giving. Three fifths of family caregivers age 19-64 surveyed by the Commonwealth Fund reported fair or poor health, one or more chronic conditions, or a disability.
Respite care/short break is the service most often requested by family caregivers, yet it is in critically short supply, inaccessible or unaffordable. While the focus has been on making sure families have the option of providing care at home, little attention has been paid to the needs of the family caregivers who make this possible. In South Africa, often due to economic circumstances, most children and adults with disabilities are cared for at home. At present, there are no statistics for caregivers in South Africa, nor is there much help or relief for family caregivers in South Africa.
Care4u2 looks at giving the caregivers the much needed rest that they require.

We have identified a single mum who is in desperate need of Respite Care. Below is a summary of her current situation.

HISTORY:

Ms. MK is a 35 year old single mother residing in Soweto. She is the mother of two children, age 3 and 8. Her 8 year old son, has been diagnosed with autism and is currently attending Randburg Clinic School. He is a high support, non-verbal learner, who requires constant care and supervision.

She is from the lower socio-economic bracket and has her hands full with taking care of a baby and a special needs child. She has been placed under great financial and emotional strain over the past few years and has expressed how difficult her situation has been. The support based team at Randburg Clinic School believe she would greatly benefit from any respite offered.
Care4u2 has approved her application. We will be sending Ms MK with a friend that she has chosen to go away with for a weekend in January 2022. Her mum will come and look after the kids while she is away. We hope by then the expected 4th wave would have settled. If not, we will re-schedule the Respite weekend.

Care4u2 will cover the accommodation , transport to and back, food, entertainment money, pamper packages and additional small items if needed.
They will also cover food for the caregiver and children who are left behind. Transport fees for the caregiver and any additional unforeseen expenses over the weekend for the children will also be covered by us.
The kids are visited by the social worker from the school just to ensure they are ok over the weekend.
In order for us to reach our objectives we need support from organisations such as yours to assist us in bringing positive change in the lives of these individuals and families.
Thank you for kindly considering being part of our Respite/ Outreach Programme.

Kind Regards,
The Care4u2 Team

CONTACT

Zaidah Goosein

T: +27 82 657 2131

E: info@care4u2.co.za

W: care4u2.co.za

DONATE

Donate to Care4u2

A story about coffee, baked goods & a crazy cyclist

Karen — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 12:14:34 +0000

It’s not every day that ways to help the go-getters and Do-It-Yourselfers of society falls into your lap, but this is exactly what happened. From the odd glance on the various goings-on of other NPOs to a tag here & there on Instagram to being able to make a difference in the lives of autistic adults in South Africa. Jozi 4 Autism is making a donation to a project close to our heart and we hope you will do the same.

Special Knead Café aims to create employment for adult autists in South Africa, starting in Joburg with hopes to expand. The pilot café was a success, turned a profit and created hope amongst families which makes this something we can all get behind and be proud of as a country!

Yummies on display at Special Knead Cafe

Larry and Leroy - are our 'transostriches'. Be who you were born to be!

Larry and Leroy - are our transostriches . I painted them as they depict who we are as Special Knead Cafe - neurodiverse - be who you were born to be!

The team - Michaela Steenberg, Phehello Masitha and Sammi Rundle with Kim Rundle

Sammi, Phehello and Michaela

Michaela and her famous cake

The Centre of Justice for Special Needs NPO

Special Knead Café falls under the protection of The Centre of Justice for Special Needs NPO (2018 / 535244 / 08) and money is currently being raised to get the cafe new premises and to expand the business. A crazy guy on a bike is cycling from London to Istanbul (what?!) to raise funds for this cause, but I digress – who better to tell their story than the founder of Special Knead Café herself, Kim Rundle…

The original Special Knead Café was opened a year and a half ago in a wooden hut that John Rundle donated in order to give employment to neurodiverse and autistic young adults – including our 22 year old daughter – Sammi, who is a semi-verbal alexic autistic. The job market in South Africa is non existent. Due to bad partnership decisions on my part, I had to close the doors after just four months.

The café was such a success that all staff were paid salaries from the profits in the first month. There was no way I was giving up, so I opened the The Centre of Justice for Special Needs with specialist professionals and made it water-tight. Our portfolio managers all have specific roles to play and they are all young and dynamic. Being a special needs teacher, I am not business-orientated, but special-needs-training-orientated and therefore have surrounded myself in this NPO with lawyers and business consultants, so what happened before will never happen again. I have been searching tirelessly for new premises that would suit our autistic adults and so many incredible people have offered premises in shopping centres, but it has to be a sensory-friendly green space in a loving community.

Special Knead Café will be a community venture, where all people feel welcome to get involved by baking goods to be sold in the cafe. It is a ‘Kind Zone’ where business people can take a quiet moment to breathe and do some work on their laptops while they enjoy a great cup of coffee and a pastry or piece of cake. We intend to sell goods made and baked by special needs people, who bake from home and Capsicum Culinary Studio has on our request set up courses for neurodiverse and special needs young people. Every cent we make goes to our employees and to help create more coffee shops where they are needed.

All our requirements have been met by sponsors and donors, from display fridges, to coffee machines and even free Barista training is provided by Illy Coffee, in return we buy their local roasted coffee. All crockery and cutlery also has been donated to us by followers on Facebook. I just have to put a request on Facebook and people bring whatever we need! The generosity of people has been heartwarming.

Our employees have Saturday afternoons off, Sunday and public holidays and we will close in December. All autistic families are exhausted and these adults can get burnout, so we need to carefully monitor their well-being.
They will earn a proper salary that they can live off and become independent. We would like this first cafe to be the hub off all things autistic, where neurodiverse people can come and feel like they belong, a social sanctuary of creativity and acceptance.

Crazybikeguy, Grant Cameron-Smith, is our business consultant/specialist director and he wanted to show the world how hard the journey can be for an autistic person and their family – he is doing the extraordinary for the extraordinary!
Cycling 8800km from London to Istanbul for us, to raise awareness of this mammoth journey we embark on, and to raise funds for our coffee shop. You can follow him on www.crazybikeguy.com and watch his journey live, and read his amazing blogs, that his wife Elizabeth writes up for him. His Facebook page is Crazybikeguy and his Instagram account is #grantcrazybikeguy. We keep our followers updated on our Facebook Page and our Instagram account.

CONTACT

Kim Rundle

T: +27 82 415 1283

E: kim224gp@gmail.com

W: specialkneadcafe.co.za

CHECK IT OUT

CrazyBikeGuy (aka Grant Cameron-Smith)

DONATE

CrazyBikeGuy on GivenGain

Vendors at this year’s Jozi 4 Autism Walk 2019

Karen — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 11:54:26 +0000

Here is a round-up of all our vendors for the upcoming walk on 17th March 2019. Each stand has something different to offer in terms of gastronomic experience so be sure to take some time after the walk to amble around at the Band Stand Area of the Johannesburg Zoo where all our stands will be (No.1 of map)

Vendors 2019:

Fems Foods

vida e caffè

Sweet 63 – Strawberries & Cream

Go to Quicket now to buy your tickets!

See you all there,
Sumaya, Tasneem & Karen

Directors

Vendor 2019 – Sweet 63 – Strawberries & Cream

Karen — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 11:41:10 +0000

Treat yourself to something sweet! Sweet 63 is your go-to stand if dessert is your kind of breakfast…

We have been serving up Dutch Pancakes and Crepes in a Cup for the past 10 years at special events and pop up venues.
We also do Strawberries and Cream with meringues which is our signature dessert offering.
Strawberry and Coffee Milkshakes and other dessert treats.

CONTACT

Khudeja

T: +27 11 837 5578

C: +27 83 352 7246

E: khudejapo@gmail.com

Sponsor 2019 – Freeway Group

Karen — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 10:10:42 +0000

The Freeway Group has donated bottled water for our upcoming walk! This means that every person taking part gets a free water. Thank you Freeway Group for keeping our peeps hydrated

About the Freeway Group

The foundation of the Freeway Group is built on the attitude of exceptional customer service. This fundamental principle is passed on to each employee who is seen as an integral member of the Freeway Group family. Additionally, we strongly believe in growing with the technological and scientific advances of the world. As such, over the course of recent years we have consolidated technological services such as i22 works and Hashtag Viral under Freeway Digital. We also strongly believe in giving back to the community. Hence, we strive to participate in community initiatives and events.

Yet, together with our growth and development, our foundation continues to lay on avid attention to customer service which is at the core of our business principles. In all personal and business dealings, Freeway Group has set itself high ethical and moral standards, providing strategic guidance to all businesses and individuals in the freeway group. This group is committed to providing a safe and clean working environment for all its employees and encourages personal staff development through training and programs.

Every staff member is expected to be a good citizen in their communities and display the high moral and ethical behaviour that is sought after by many companies and is awarded by management. Furthermore, at the Freeway Group, we strongly believe that success lies not in what we receive but what we give back to our communities.

Alone we can only achieve so little, but together we can achieve so much more. The philosophy of Ubuntu states that ‘I am, because we are.’ Our aim is to live up to this principle. Thus, we make it a priority to involve ourselves in a number of community initiatives and programmes. We live by the belief that in order to make progress, we have to give back.

CONTACT

Freeway Group

T: +27 11 661 0000

E: Marketing@i22works.com

W: www.freeway.co.za

Vendor 2019 – Fems Foods

Karen — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 08:28:24 +0000

Fems Foods is a 100% women empowered home business that offers catering options for small and medium functions. Very suited to the spicy palate but can also vary to cater for other tastes from fine dining to on-the-go food!

About Fems Foods

Mission Statement

Winning hearts through exquisite cuisine

Our Values

To constantly strive in evolving wholesome food into an exquisite plate that will make your taste buds travel into a mystical Indian world of fun and flavour.

Who we are…

Fems Foods is a 100% women empowered home business that catapulted very quickly into a choice option for small and medium functions. Our success in preparing selective and bespoke cuisine for selective clientele who have seen us grow into a one-stop shop for all your wedding, birthdays, graduations and other private functions. We demand the very best and we deliver the very best in customised and special requirement cuisine. We are very suited to the spicy palate but can also vary to cater for other tastes from fine dining to on-the-go food. You will also find us at various pop-up spots.
For the discerning tastes buds that insist on Indian inspired cuisine, you have come to the right place…our standards set us apart from most!
All about our food
Our distinctive cuisine is Indian inspired and can be customised into a fine dining plate or a wholesome meal for family gatherings which guarantees flavour and is supremely delicious.
We are unique in that, we have been able to provide traditional indian inspired cuisine in a modern sophisticated way without compromising on the richness of spice and flavour.
At Fems Foods we insist on the highest standards in hygiene and health controls combined with always using the freshest and fine quality ingredients.
Our food is prepared with love and care with a generous attitude to ensuring full flavour that results modern earthy indian dishes with a contemporary twist.
Our food is created with panache without compromising the traditional zest for Asian spice.

Our specialty dishes for this event will be Fems Foods famous Lamb curry and rice, Chicken and Veg Samoosa’s and Spicy Chicken Strips with a burst of zing that our special blend of spices created by Aunty Fahmida.

We share an optimistic view that our dishes will set dining standards at your event and we cherish the opportunity to be part of the Jozi 4 Autism Initiative.

CONTACT

Fahmida mayet

T: +27 11 444 7058

C: +27 82 704 0201

E: ndmayet@gmail.com

Vendor 2019 – vida e caffè

Karen — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 08:07:25 +0000

As a true homegrown brand, vida e caffè’s roots are firmly embedded in the iconic flagship store that first opened its doors on the vibrant Kloof Street, Cape Town, in October 2001. From here, vida pioneered the way to bring that authentic European espresso bar culture, infused with that unique energetic African flavour to the best locations in all our cities.

About vida e caffè

“vida e caffè is Portuguese for ‘life and coffee’ . It’s really that simple – no coffee, no life; no life, no coffee.
The vida e caffè story began in 2001 on one of Cape Town’s hippest streets, where the first meia de leite was delicately poured. This seemingly small cup of passion turned a simple hot drink into a lifestyle choice, and ignited South Africa’s coffee culture.
Inspired by the street cafés of Portugal, infused with the infectious energy of the people of Africa, and blended together in a place that inspires the soul, we continue to serve up passion all day, every day, in everything we do.

But what is passion, and what does it mean to you? To us, passion is about energy. It’s more than just enthusiasm or excitement, it’s a desire that drives you to take action, to put as much heart, mind, body and soul into something as possible. It’s resisting the bland and the mundane, and aspiring to uplift everyone, every day, with inspiration, laughter, vigour, pleasure – and that little bit extra. It is the creation of an experience.

This is our lifestyle, the vida e caffè way.”

Obrigado!

CONTACT

vida e caffè

T: +27 21 461 0424

Exhibitors at this year’s Jozi 4 Autism Walk 2019

Karen — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 11:20:20 +0000

Here is a round-up of all our exhibitors for our upcoming walk on 17th March 2019. Each stand has something different offer in terms of play – how to/when to/what with – so be sure to take your time as you explore the wonderful world of play…
Play is essential for autists and non-autists alike and remember – you’re never too old to play!

You’re probably also wondering who will be serving your gastronomic desires on the day – so look out for a list of our vendors –
to be posted next week.

Exhibitors 2019:

Play Africa

Autism South Africa

Diketo Inclusive Education

Nature’s Choice Wholefoods Specialists

BMT Academy

Piece of Mind

I am CENTRE FOR AUTISM (Joburg South)

Plush Elephant

Amazing K (Joburg North)

Child Behaviour Consultants (Joburg North)

Sam the Hedgehog (Maan Creative)

Jiswa School

Nokuthula Centre & Special School

Geppetto’s World

Go to Quicket now to buy your tickets!

See you all there,
Sumaya, Tasneem & Karen

Directors

Speaker 2019 – Mpho S. Tsele – Play Africa

Karen — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 19:08:17 +0000

Meet Mpho Tsele, one of our speakers at the upcoming Jozi 4 Autism walk!
Mpho is Play Africa’s Play & Learning Supervisor and has much to teach us about inclusivity & special needs.

Play Africa is a South African non-profit company and social enterprise dedicated to creating child-centred spaces that spark creativity and learning through hands-on, experiential activities. We serve children from birth to age 10, their families and schools, igniting curiosity through groundbreaking programmes in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and foundation phase education.

I am a former nursery school teacher who discovered Play Africa in 2016. Since then, I joined the team as a play and learning facilitator, leading Play Africa’s high-quality early learning programmes in science, technology, engineering, arts & maths.

As the daughter of a man who was born blind, I have a lifelong awareness of the societal barriers to access faced by many people with disabilities.

I became Play Africa’s first Inclusivity Coordinator and led the children’s museum’s engagement to create South Africa’s first custom-built sensory play exhibit in partnership with Autism South Africa and National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities.

Now as Play Africa’s Play and Learning Supervisor, I oversee all play and learning initiatives and direct the Youth Work Readiness Initiative, training previously unemployed youth in play and learning methodologies.

CONTACT

Mpho Simone Tsele

T: +27 (0) 11 381 3121

E: projects@playafrica.org.za

W: www.playafrica.org.za

Karen | Jozi 4 Autism

Hlawulo’s Take on Jozi 4 Autism’s Annual Walk

Respite & Care

A letter from Care4u2

HISTORY:

A story about coffee, baked goods & a crazy cyclist

Vendors at this year’s Jozi 4 Autism Walk 2019

Vendor 2019 – Sweet 63 – Strawberries & Cream

Sponsor 2019 – Freeway Group

Vendor 2019 – Fems Foods

Vendor 2019 – vida e caffè

Exhibitors at this year’s Jozi 4 Autism Walk 2019

Play Africa

Autism South Africa

Diketo Inclusive Education

Nature's Choice Wholefood Specialists

BMT Academy

Geppetto's World

Child Behaviour Consultants

Piece of Mind

Plush Elephant

I Am School for Autism

Jiswa School

Nokuthula Special School

Amazing K Autism School

Speaker 2019 – Mpho S. Tsele – Play Africa