The continued education and well-being of more than 100 hearing-impaired learners in Cape Town has been ensured following the recent donation of a bus, valued at R1 400 000, replacing old and unreliable vehicles used to transport them to and from Zonnebloem’s Seven Steps Academy for the Deaf.
The South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT) provided the new vehicle recently after learning that the Academy’s learners faced significant barriers because of unsafe, unreliable, or unaffordable transport, leading to poor attendance, lateness, and increased levels of vulnerability.
Commenting on its vehicle donation, SAMCT representative, Mr Wasiem Abbas, said: “The logistics crisis at Seven Steps Academy for the Deaf directly undermined the proper education and overall well-being of its learners. We, of the SAMCT, believed that a new and dedicated bus would offer safe, accessible transport, drastically improving punctuality and attendance, whilst also relieving financial pressure on the families of learners here.”
Families, from largely historically disadvantaged communities, are unable to select schools closer to their homes for their hearing-impaired children because presently Seven Steps Academy for the Deaf is the only oral academic combined school for Deaf learners in the Cape Town area.
“Without the provision of appropriate transport daily, the impact on learners’ education, emotional well-being, and long-term prospects would be potentially devastating. Accordingly, we, of the SAMCT, were only too pleased to provide a degree of financial relief, offering the introduction of a brand new bus to transport the Academy’s learners from designated pick-up points to Zonnebloem and back, across three different routes each day, thus more effectively servicing the 112 children attending this specialised educational facility,” said Mr Wasiem Abbas, .
The SAMCT was created in 2008, the result of a partnership between Old Mutual Unit Trusts and Al Baraka Bank, for the creation, marketing and distribution of a suite of Shariah Funds. The organisation provides funding, services and other resources to improve the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged. It has successfully delivered sizeable assistance solutions throughout South Africa – irrespective of race or religion – and continues to work to support needy organisations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation and education. The organisation has long served as a pivotal conduit for the channelling of funding, vital services, and resources to approved public benefit organisations, and remains committed to catalysing positive change and creating a lasting impact on the development and upliftment of, especially, disadvantaged individuals and communities. Its funds are distributed to help improve the health and development of deserving people and organisations, irrespective of race or religion.
Seven Steps Academy for the Deaf aims to equip its learners with the skills and mindset to thrive
through the acquisition of spoken language and is committed to recognising the importance of communication, to promoting intellectual and social growth and development, and to providing a safe and supportive learning environment.
Mr Wasiem Abbas said: “This facility does amazing work, encouraging the learners in its charge to be independent and to develop a sense of responsibility for themselves and respect for others in the environment. It strives to ensure learners here successfully acquire skills of learning and communication and enjoy experiences which have the effect of expanding their critical thought processes and allow for a sense of appreciation of the world around them.”
“This investment intervention aligns perfectly with the SAMCT’s values of compassion and community upliftment by ensuring equitable access to quality, inclusive education for vulnerable children. A large number of the learners attending this Academy not only face communication and multiple learning barriers, but also severe socio-economic challenges which – until now – had further limited their ability to access safe, reliable transport to and from school,” Mr Wasiem Abbas added.
The Academy is dedicated to the protection and education of its deaf learners and, therefore, safe transport had remained an insurmountable challenge, until the SAMCT’s generous vehicle donation.
“We believe this reliable new school bus will provide safe and accessible transport for deaf learners, especially those from outer lying or high-risk areas, improving attendance and punctuality levels, so enabling learners to fully benefit from the specialised education offered, whilst also relieving financial pressure on struggling families who are already making major sacrifices in a bid to support their children’s education. Critically, too, we are confident that our gesture will contribute towards the key principle of promoting equity and dignity, ensuring that every child, regardless of socio-economic background, has improved access to a quality and inclusive education,” Mr Wasiem Abbas stressed.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za
www.samct.co.za