The Oudtshoorn Association for Persons with Disabilities (APD), is a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering adults and children with disabilities in Oudtshoorn and surrounding areas. The APD Centre in Oudtshoorn currently supports 40 adults in its workshop and 25 children under the age of 18 in its daycare centre. In Dysselsdorp, the centre provides care and meaningful activities for 21 adults. Together, these centres make a lasting difference in the lives of many families in the community.

On Tuesday, 21 July, Pediatric Care Africa had the privilege of visiting both APD centres. While we witnessed incredible dedication and love from the staff and learners, we also saw facilities that urgently need improvement to provide a more comfortable, and stimulating environment.

With your support, we hope to transform these spaces into places where every child and adult can thrive. The following projects have been identified and requires YOUR and OUR help:

• Repaint all buildings in child-friendly colours to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.
• Paint beautiful murals on the walls where the children spend most of their day, encouraging imagination, learning, and joy.
• Complete essential structural maintenance, including replacing damaged roof sheets at the head office and repairing fascia boards on several buildings.
• Develop a comfortable visitor’s area where families, caregivers, and guests can spend quality time with the children.
• Improve the administration office at the Oudtshoorn daycare centre. The office is constructed from corrugated iron, making it feel like “a freezer in winter and an oven in summer”. By painting the roof and exterior walls white and installing insulation in the walls and ceiling, we can create a more comfortable work area for the staff.
• Provide a television that can play age-appropriate educational and sensory programs, offering valuable visual stimulation and enriching learning opportunities for the children.

The children and adults at these APD centres urgently need YOUR and OUR help to create environments where they can learn, grow, and thrive.

Children and Adults need continuous medical monitoring and will be regurarly visited by a medical doctor, dietician and occupational therapist and of course a dentist. Pediatric Care Africa will supply these free medical services.

Pediatric Care Africa invites businesses, organizations, community groups, and individuals to become part of this meaningful project by sponsoring or renovating a room or specific area within the centres. Whether it is painting a classroom, repairing a roof, creating a sensory space, or transforming a visitor’s area, every contribution will leave a lasting impact on the lives of the children and adults who call APD their second home.

Every company or sponsor who adopts a room will receive recognition through the display of their company logo and name in the area they helped renovate. This serves as a lasting reminder of their commitment to making a difference in our community.

We invite companies, artists, skilled tradespeople to join us for a site inspection. This visit will provide the opportunity to see firsthand the current conditions and identify how you or your organization can contribute to transforming the APD centres in Oudtshoorn and Dysselsdorp.