Empower 35 students with disability in Tanzania

INTRODUCTION: This report will summarize the main  achievements of  SSLC in 2024 with emphasis on the period from October to December 2024 vis-a-vis our Vision, Mission and Goals. The main focus this period was to complete construction of an Adult Program Centre (APC) as the first major step in the implementation of SSLC’s Vision 2024: a road map  to sustainability. This vision was launched in January 2024.

MISSION STATEMENT

SSLC’s mission is to promote the physical, intellectual, psychological and social development of each child through a holistic educational provision in an inclusive, empathetic, respectful, positive and stimulating environment so that special needs students and their families feel safe, accepted and loved. Staff use child-centered training and learning methods to encourage all children, including those having severe disabilities, to reach their maximum potential.

 VISION STATEMENT

SSLC aims to grow its capacity to provide a safe and stimulating learning and working environment for mentally and severely physically challenged students for as long as they need such support to progressively improve and learn appropriate Life and Employment  skills in order to achieve a degree of independence and dignity.

 MAIN GOALS ANE OBJECTIVES

1.  Forty young students (age 6 to 17) with mental and physical challenges will access appropriate education, life skills training and appropriate therapy.
2.  Twenty young adults (over 18) with mental and physical challenges will get training in Job skills and thereafter employment, income, self-esteem, confidence and emotional empowerment.
3.  Six Income Generating Projects (IGPs) will receive enough input to become viable, self-sustainable and a significant contribution to SSLC’s income and vulnerable young adults’ employment and livelihood.
4.  Fourteen Staff will receive support to provide compassionate, high quality holistic teaching, training and therapy to SSLC students.
5.  The East African region will look to SSLC as a model of care, quality education and exemplary mentorship.
6.  Drawing an Individual Learning Program (ILP) for each student with input from his/her parents or guardians, then setting goals for each student
7.  Conducting one on one, Hand over hand, Experiential - hands on teaching and training the young students in basic functional literacy and life skills
8.  Providing professional therapies (Physiotherapy, Reflexology, Occupational Therapy and Speech Training plus Music, Dance, Art and Crafts.
9.  Training and mentoring young adults on the job in the Income         Generating Projects (IGPs): jewelry making from beads; gardening and Livestock keeping of cows, sheep, chicken and bees.
10.  Expanding the IGPs and professionalizing the job skills to make the projects financially viable and sustainable.
11.  Providing administrative and support services to the program.
12.  Collaborating with parents, community leaders and other similar programs in order to advocate for the rights of the disabled and sell the SSLC model.
13.  Participating in advocacy activities like International Autism, Down Syndrome. Cerebral Palsy and Disability days.
14.  Raising funds from various sources to keep SSLC running

 MAIN ACTIVITIES

For this period, the main activities centred around students and construction of APC.

 STAKEHOLDERS: From October to December, SSLC impacted a total number of 356 stakeholders, with the addition of two new students.. These were active project participants and beneficiaries (192 females and 164 males). They included students, staff, parents, guardians, caregivers, local and international partner organizations. A further additional unknown number of people were impacted by word of mouth around SSLC's local community and internationally through social media Facebook and LinkedIn.

 JUNIOR CORE PROGRAM (AGES 3 TO 17)

The Junior Program maintained full capacity with 20 students. They had varying degrees of physical and mental challenges: 9 with autism, 6 cerebral palsy, 2 Downs syndrome, 1 Hydrocephalus, 1 epileptic and 1 slow learner. Attendance remained steady and good throughout the year. Over 80% of the students were able to attend school 80% and above. Some of the students attended over 90 percent. Staff continued to pursue the goals set for each student in consultation with parents and caregivers. They urged them to continue collaborating with SSLC to speed up progress of their children. Each student took home a comprehensive report of his/her achievements and challenges of 2024. Two graduates of the Junior Program were itching to join the Adult Program in 2025!

 SSLC OUTREACH SERVICES (S.O.S)

The old Home Based Program (HBP) was modified into an outreach model to make it more appealing to parents and caregivers who can pay but have not found suitable schools or programs for their children. A professional therapy room in the new Adult Program Centre is now usable. We are now left with equipping it for Physiotherapy, Reflexology, Occupational Therapy and Speech Training. Offering these paid for services will not only double up as an additional source of income for SSLC but spread and multiply the impact of SSLC into the community.

 ADULT PROGRAM (AGES 18 AND ABOVE)

From October to December,  SSLC’s Adult Program maintained all of it's 10 students, one was a new student from one of the private schools that has no program for students beyond 18 years.  With the old block evacuated, we gained two extra classrooms ready to gradually enroll 20 more young students, hopefully all paying or sponsored so we can employ 4 more teachers to maintain our ideal ratio of 5 students to a teacher.

Four of the students are autistic, 2 with cerebral palsy, 2 Down’s syndrome, 1 slow learner and 1 hydrocephalus. All of these students attended school regularly, except one autistic girl who is also epileptic. She became very aggressive to her mother and sister so they could not bring her to the school bus on her bad days. Her single mum also struggled with maintaining her medication.

The impact of learning and gaining employment skills on the job in our Income Generating Projects (IGPs) in a safe and positive environment continued to be enormous on these students. We have observed improvements in their self esteem, confidence and purpose as they participate in these creative and enjoyable activities. They came up with beautiful new products now displayed in the spacious shop in the new building. We hope this will attract more customers to shop so we generate additional good income for them and SSLC.  We are also hoping to start new employment skills training in Catering and Food Processing in our new beautiful space.

 ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY IMPACT

We continued to advocate for disability rights and services this period targeting clinics and hospitals. The two Doctors we contacted to run a medical boot camp at SSLC are ready to do so in 2025 as soon as we are ready for it. They recruited their colleagues so our students get baseline checks in various areas: dental. ENT, chest, eyes, physical and mental.

INFRASTRUCTURE

We made great progress in the construction of the Adult Program .We intensified fundraising locally and internationally for completion of the Adult Program Centre. By the end of 2024, APC was close to being usable. The old block that will be evacuated and become classrooms will need sprucing up especially the floors.

SOCIAL MEDIA

SSLC maintained its over five thousand combined social media contacts, friends and followers mainly on Facebook and LinkedIn. These are valuable avenues for selling our vision, mission, goals, activities and projects.

DONORS

All the 3 proposals we wrote and submitted were disappointingly not successful! We did not get any major Donors or grants except The Providence Foundation who gave over 75% of the funds for APC. 

PARTNERS

We were happy to maintain our formal Global Hope Partnership with Accessible Hope International (AHI) - our much needed Fiscal Sponsor and ambassador to the International world. EduAfrica - a unique tour company hosting education professionals continued to be our other valued partner. GlobalGiving remained our reliable platform for fundraising and getting noticed by an international audience.

 SUSTAINABILITY

We continued to pursue the  bold move we took from January 2024 to launch SSLC’s Vision 2024: a Road map to Sustainability outlined below: 

WHAT?

•  SSLC vision 2024 for sustainability is to empower SSLC to avoid depending wholly on donors, sponsors, friends and family for its long-term survival.

WHY?

•  Competition for Donor funding is getting stiff and Donors continue to dictate their priorities and strategies over NGOs ones.
•  Donor fatigue as many well-wishers get tired of giving to the poor
•  Economies all over the world are struggling and affecting many that want to give and or support charities
•  Students with disabilities need a safe place and a long time to gain knowledge and skills to empower them to live in dignity

HOW?

•  Build an Adult Program Centre with:

1.  Income Generating Projects (IGPs) workshop for training adult students in jewelry making, tailoring, weaving and other employment skills but at the same time raising income for supporting SSLC and creating livelihood for the students
2.  A display shop for selling IGPs products to raise income and livelihood
3.  A modern kitchen and dining hall cum circle time/social area but also for training the adult students cooking and waiter/waitress skills. At the same time, they will sell their training products: popular snacks, drinks and food for income and livelihood.
4.  A modern professional Therapy Room where the teachers and volunteer professionals offer therapy to non-enrolled but paying students

•  Build an Inclusive Education Model wing starting with:

1.  A daycare room for all young children (three years and below) with and without disabilities
2.  A preschool class for youngsters (age 4 and 5) with and without disabilities
3.  A grade one/primary one class for youngsters (age 6) with and without disabilities

•  Influence and dictate to the Inclusive Education Wing how students from SSLC will be included into their program right from the start
•  Start an aggressive and diligent appeal for funding in kind or cash locally and internationally

WHEN?

Starting January 2024 as funding allows with the Adult Program Centre:

1.  Phase 1: Foundation and floor slab
2.  Phase 2: Walls, roofing, doors and windows
3.  Phase 3: Move in to free two currently occupied classrooms for enrolment of new 20 young (age 6 to 17) paying/sponsored students for the Junior Program and 10 young vulnerable adults (age 18 and above) for the Adult Program – thus doubling SSLC’s capacity by increasing access to education and training, and impact in the community.
4.  Phase 4: Complete with wiring, plumbing, painting and furnishings as funding is available

•  Thereafter, whenever that will be, start building the Inclusive Education Model wing.