Chronicle Editor
Angela Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
A Bulawayo inclusive school is struggling to keep up with the challenges faced by pupils living with disabilities and is appealing to well-wishers for help.
Ntshamathe Primary School in Magwegwe suburb is one of the few schools that have embraced the inclusion of children with hearing impairment in Bulawayo.
However, it is facing challenges in providing necessary services for the effective education of the 12 pupils with hearing impairment.
This came up during a donation by the Affirmative Action Group (AAG) of a four-plate stove and food items that included mealie meal and cooking oil among other things last week.
The teacher responsible for teaching and monitoring the children, Ms Memory Musarurwa bemoaned lack of infrastructure that is specifically designed to cater for the children.
She also highlighted the need for toys, computers, tablets and sign language dictionaries.
“These children learn through facial expressions, so if we are all wearing masks it becomes hard for them to communicate and understand what is being communicated to them. Also, we need disposable masks because as you can see, they are wearing cloth masks whilst some of them drool a lot which makes one mask unhygienic,” she said.
Ms Musaruwa said sometimes she and her colleagues go into their pockets to help the children when they come to school.
“Sometimes I bring a pack of maputi and Mazoe orange crush for them to get something to eat because there are instances when one of them will approach me early in the morning and tell me they are hungry and I wouldn’t be having anything to give to them,” she said.
The AAG Bulawayo province chairperson Mr Bukhosi Ncube said they had donated some foodstuffs before as part of their initiative to help the less privileged. It was during one of the delivery visits that they found parents cooking outside using firewood in the rain that they decided to engage the business sector and arranged to get a stove for the school.
Mr Ncube also said they will engage and approach other business people to come and help. “Today I was really touched. I usually donate goods but have never taken a chance to get closer to these communities. It actually appeared to me that we overlook these things and think it’s all about making a donation but it is about getting to a community and becoming a part of it, that way you will know what exactly is needed,” he said.
“We are not saying we have much, but with the little that we have, we are going to become the voice of reason for these children. We will do our best to make sure we empower them and make their schooling comfortable.”
The Affirmative Action Group partnered with the Smokehouse to donate. The school headmaster, Mr. John Sibanda said that they have projects underway to try and mitigate the challenges but lack of funding is hampering their work.
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