It’s a sad reality, but those with special needs are often pushed off to the side and asked to fend for themselves. But things are a little different down in George, Western Cape. Up with Down’s is a special needs school that teaches practical skills to differently-abled children and young adults.
According to Good Things Guy, the school has 21 learners and 17 adults in its training centre. While the primary focus of the school is to provide basic education (for example, literacy and life skills), the training centre is all about developing the life skills of the young adults, which includes cooking, baking and sewing.
Jan Seegmuller, the centre’s director, heard of an opportunity to put the young adult’s cooking skills to the test. Seegmuller approached a local soup kitchen in the hopes that this would allow them to do some good for the community while showing off their skills in the kitchen.
Tanya Holtzhausen decided to share her thoughts on this incredible initiative:
“Our small school, Up with Down’s Centre for learners with Special Needs in George has started a programme in their Training centre which cooks 20 litres of soup for a soup kitchen for the nearby township of Blanco every week.
Each class (of which there are only five) get a turn to donate the ingredients and lend a hand in making the soup,” she states.
Feeling incredibly proud of this small school and all that the learners have accomplished, Holtzhausen goes on to applaud their effort to make their community a better place.
“I feel very proud that our small school, with learners that face many challenges themselves, has found a way to make a difference in others’ lives, and in the process gives our children a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Other small centres can really learn from Up with Down’s!”
If you would love to know more about this amazing school and its initiative, make sure you visit their website.
Picture: Unsplash
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