15 May 2018

Tsholofelo Rehabilitation Centre coordinator, Ms Lesego Bolane has called on the parents of children with disabilities to make use of the centre.

The Serowe-based centre opened its doors for the public on May 2.

In an interview, Ms Bolane said the centre, which was founded by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, is a-non-governmental organisation that exists to provide rehabilitation, stimulation and advocacy for children with disabilities in the entire Central District.

The opening of Tsholofelo is a welcome note to the residents after the closure of the previous centre, Tshidilong Rehabilitation, which was housed at the same premises.

Tshidilong, which offered the same services, relied mostly on donors and folded some years back due to financial constraints.

The premises are owned by the Roman Catholic Church.

Unlike Tshidilong, Tsholofelo Rehabilitation Centre is solely sponsored by government.
Ms Bolane said the centre is for children with different kinds of disabilities such as autism, mild dumb syndrome, physical disabilities and Cerebral palsy.

“We encourage parents to bring their children to our school so we can help stimulate their abilities,” Bolane highlighted.

She said the school has different medical professionals who help in different areas.

Bolane said although their facility is small as they are licensed to accommodate only 34 students, this leaves them no choice, but to enroll few students against their desire  to assist more.

Despite that, they offer administrative services, where they advocate by assessing and referring to other centres in the country.

The centre is not a boarding facility.

The coordinator lamented lack of transport as a challenge, given that some of the children are from outside Serowe such as Paje and Mabeleapodi.

Ms Bolane said they also monitor progress of their students and if they are doing well they refer them to main stream schools.

One of the parents, Mr Gaebolae Phuthego commended the school for their efforts to help the children.

He said the school has equipped staff with medical expertise to assist the children.

“I encourage other parents to love their children and not give up on them as these children need our support and love. I encourage them to make use of Tsholofelo for their own benefit,’’ Mr Phuthego said.  

He said he does not see any reason why parents can not take advantage of the school given that it is free and likely to benefit their children greatly.

“Let’s not confine our disabled children, we are their hope in accessing the support they need. They have challenges and Tsholofelo can be our support in alleviating those challenges,” Mr Phuthego concluded. ENDS