The Carel du Toit Trust, established in 1984, aims to mobilize and develop resources to advance whole-child development. This is done through early identification and spoken language for children who are hearing impaired.
Many children with hearing impairments come from families who cannot afford the associated costs of providing the support a hearing impaired child needs.
The Trust is on a mission to raise funds to help these families give their children everything they need, and to make the Carel du Toit spoken language methodology accessible to all.
In their 45 years, the Trust has managed to develop a unique and highly successful programme. It allows hearing impaired children under 12 months to 10 years of age develop spoken language using their residual hearing.
This becomes possible through key factors including early identification of hearing loss, provision of appropriate hearing aids and parental support and involvement.
The lives of young individuals with hearing impairments are transformed through the Trust, allowing them to have more opportunities and fully achieve their potential.
Parents also receive additional guidance from the Trust. Children are offered ongoing experiential learning through a structured pre-primary school environment and a foundation phase that follows the National CAPS Curriculum. Children are also supported via interventions and therapies provided by onsite audiologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and an educational psychologist.
The Trust is only able to operate thanks to the support of donors or sponsors who help fund the dreams of deaf children ,who in the past, may have been considered a lost cause.
The values of the Carel du Toit Trust are: respect, transparency, committed team, trust and influence.
The Carel du Toit Trust is the proud initiator of the first sustainable infant hearing screening programme in the Western Cape. It continue to run outreach programmes to help identify and support children with hearing impairments.
All children that attend the trust receive weekly individual speech and language therapy sessions. Group sessions are also given to target listening skills. These are incorporated into daily classes.
Many people do not understand the affect that hearing loss has on children ability to learn. The Carel du Toit Trust is raising awareness and changing perceptions right here in the Mother City with their learning centre in Parow.
“We believe that all children should have the opportunity to hear and be heard,” says the Trust’s website.
If you would like to support them or enroll your child check out their website: http://careldutoit.co.za
Contact: 021 938 5303
Address: Francie van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg Hospital Grounds (10.94 mi)
Parow, South Africa 7550
Pictures: Facebook/The Carel du Toit Trust