FAQ continued

Who benefits from the work of Malamulele Onward?

Children with cerebral palsy…
Children with cerebral palsy living in rural areas are the primary focus of Malamulele Onward. We work to improve the lives of these children through outreach visits, provision of equipment and through working with their caregivers, communities and local health care providers.

Their caregivers…
The care for children with cerebral palsy usually falls on their mothers or grandmothers. In addition to caring for the child’s physical needs, the caregiver is the one who has to take the child on the long and often arduous trip to the hospital rehabilitation department. This can mean carrying the child for several kilometers until they can reach local transport. Buggies provided by Malamulele Onward assist greatly, although the rough terrain of local routes make it a somewhat challenging trip!
Caregivers are an integral part of Malamulele Onward’s programmes in that they are the people who continue care with a home-based program. The smiles on the caregivers’ faces as they watch their children progressing during our outreach visits says it all.

Rural hospitals and their staff...
Many rural hospitals in South Africa have rehabilitation workers but their skill level for dealing with children with cerebral palsy tends to be low. As part of our projects the Malamulele Onward therapists also show rehabilitation workers how to effectively work with these children. Malamulele Onward also encourages regional health departments to access training courses to further develop these workers’ skills.
The work that Malamulele Onward is doing is helping to raise the profile of rehabilitation departments, in that rural hospitals are very interested in the work that is being done, and the results that are had.

Therapists…
Therapists work together as volunteers on Malamulele Onward projects. In the process they get to network with other therapists from across South Africa, as well as learning new skills and techniques from each other. Our outreach visits are also professional development opportunities.

Can this work really make a difference to these children and their communities?

Yes it can. Children are improving in very measurable ways due to our outreach visits and the follow-up care provided by caregivers and local rehabilitation workers. Caregivers notice the differences in their children and are very motivated to continue with the home-based programme. When our therapists visit the children on a semi-annual basis they can see the improvements that the children are making, which are largely due to the follow-through at home.

What will I get out of supporting Malamulele Onward?

If you volunteer with us you’ll have a life-changing experience that will positively impact your life.
If you donate money or give gifts in kind we’ll keep you up-to-date on where the money is going or how the gifts are being used. You’ll be supporting an organization with accountability. We’ll be here to answer your questions and provide you with the information that you need.

How do I know where my money is going?

We’ll tell you! We’ll acknowledge your gift and let you know how it is going to be used. You’ll also have access to audited financial statements on an annual basis, by request.

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