I recently participated in a cultural and educational tour of South Africa. We visited a small village called Ga Matlala Setumong in rural Limpopo. I met Mr. Lucky Maleka, the managing director, principal, and one of the teachers of the Mogoshi Primary school, one of three primary schools in Limpopo.
He took us to the Mpopuleng Care Center, which is a small building that houses the special education population. Mpoleng is an African name that means "Carry me at your back wherever you go." There are presently 28 special education students, described as mentally disabled, who range from little children to young adults who receive their training in a one-room facility. The teachers of these children are volunteers from the village and have no special training. The children are not taught academics but focus on life skills. Mr. Maleka explained they have no materials to train these students.
I promised him I would tell my colleagues about his plight and ask for help in getting materials that would assist in teaching his special needs students. They need hands-on materials and assistive devices. They need materials for receptive/expressive language development and tools to develop fine and gross motor skills. If you have any suggestions please e-mail me at speechlangserv@aol.com. And, thanks to a computer that was donated by a group in the United States, Mr. Maleka can be contacted directly by e-mail at luckymaleka@yahoo.com.
Evelyn Veney-Freeman
Bowie, Maryland
speechlangserv@aol.com