Thusanani aims to help the children by supplying their institutions with the toys and educational aids required to stimulate them, but far more importantly by providing free Occupational Therapy and imparting knowledge and empowering the caregivers and volunteers directly so that they may continue to sustain progress for future children.

Main Activities

Adoption Assesment & Treament Clinic

Assessments and follow-up therapy for children awaiting adoption is required as part of the adoption process. Government Agencies have extremely long waiting lists to provide adoption assessments (up to 6 months) thereby delaying and / or jeopardising adoption – Thusanani generally provides reports within a week of request from relevant organisations. These assist in determining the child’s functioning and whether the child is a "special needs" case. Developmentally delayed children that have some form of disability or special need are followed up in the Clinic at TMI. Most referrals for adoptions come through Big Shoes Foundation. Adoption agencies receive our Developmental Assessment with the Medical Report from Big Shoes pediatricians.

Current Children's homes Involvement

We currently provide therapeutic intervention at 6 children’s homes in disadvantaged communities such as Katlehong. This includes one-on-one therapy with specific children who have special needs, as well as group therapy and training.

Educational Workshops

We provide training to care-workers and volunteers concentrating on the importance of play, developmental milestones, stimulation ideas, the importance of touch and creating a bond, and making cost effective toys. We provide educational handouts with simple cost effective ideas to promote play and appropriate stimulation. A video on normal development is currently being put together. Thusanani participates in training on early development and stimulation in courses run by Big Shoes Foundation on "Basic Child Health".

Educational Toy & Clothing Donations

We provide educational toys for 0-6 year olds to encourage stimulation and develop basic concepts such as colour, shape and size, imitation and copying, spatial awareness and appropriate fine motor skills.

Outings

With sponsorship by The Glen Shopping Centre, we are able to take small groups of children from the different children’s homes on a monthly outing. In addition, we provide an annual Christmas Party at the Zoo for disadvantaged children from Mshenguville Informal Settlement. Periodic outings are organised as funding and opportunities arise. For most of the children on our outings, this is the first time they have ventured out of their communities in a safe, controlled and pleasurable way.