Children's Homes Community Outreach Assessment and Treatment Clinic

The Thusanani Childrens Foundation is a small charity which works at a grassroots level in South Africa. Our aim is to help babies and young children who have been orphaned through HIV/AIDS, abandonment or abusive home environments. Our primary goal is to identify children who are developmentally delayed as a result of inadequate stimulation in homes and orphanages

Our mission is to promote the normal development of these children in the 0 to 6 year age group through providing free hands-on Occupational Therapy, thus preventing future disability.

Our efforts also include:

• care-worker training - highlighting the importance of early development and play as the “food” to nourish the brain and body,

• collection and distribution of educational toys,

• provision of free adoption assessments to speed up the adoption process significantly, and

• organization and facilitation of monthly outings for underprivileged children

Our focus is on HIV/AIDS affected and infected children in underprivileged areas in children’s homes, créches and informal settlements in Gauteng. Some of the children are infected with HIV/AIDS, but most of them are orphaned as a result of their parents dying from AIDS.

Children who are functioning age appropriately will have a good start in life and cope far better with school, affecting their entire future. Promoting normal development will increase the child's chances of being adopted. A delayed baby may appear "sick" and therefore would not be considered for adoption.

How do we do this?  Through provision of free Occupational Therapy services via fully qualified professionals at needy children’s homes and at our clinic.  

"Thusanani" is an African word that means "Helping Each Other" and represents a loving and professional group of Occupational Therapists with a passion for bettering the lives of the many children orphaned in South Africa.