Miss-Delectable
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http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=196&art_id=vn20060711041114449C865059
Three deaf children may never be able to learn to speak should the National Lottery Fund fail to provide funds to a non-governmental organisation in Pretoria.
The Carel du Toit Centre has managed to teach more than 150 deaf children how to communicate verbally in its 10-year existence.
It is the only centre in the province which prepares hearing-impaired children from as young as one year for mainstream schooling, and more and more such children come to it every year.
However, this year the absence of funding from the National Lottery Board (NLB) has seen trust manager Thelma Anderson and principal Chrisna Vermeulen desperately searching for extra money as the possibility of sending children away and retrenching staff become a stark reality.
Anderson began working at the school six years ago when her grand-daughter Daniella Buckley, 9, who has impaired hearing, arrived at the centre.
"I was a retired nurse and got involved because of Daniella," Anderson said.
"Now I'm quite prepared to be out there, because these children really need me to be here."
More than 30 children, between one and seven, attend the centre daily. They receive therapy, schooling and have their hearing tested by qualified professionals.
In addition, they receive meals and assorted nursery school services.
The centre has received more than R600 000 over the past five years from the Lottery Board.
It applied for funding of R500 000 for this year - and it is still waiting to hear whether it will get anything.
"The funding we've received from the Lottery Board in the past has contributed to us being able to keep our doors open," Anderson said.
Only one third of the centre's budget came from the Lottery Board, but despite this it was currently running at a deficit.
"We've now been forced to look for new donors. If we don't manage to raise the money by September, three of our children will have to leave and four staff members may lose their jobs," she said.
Anderson said the centre was very cost-intensive because of the special therapy required and the cochlear implants needed for the children.
She said she was angry because the centre was informed that it was not eligible for funding this year due to the late submission of its application forms last year.
However, Anderson insisted the completed form was submitted three to five days before the closing date.
The centre had informed the Lottery Board of this and was now hoping there will be a change of mind and that the Lottery Board will pay up.
"Applicants cannot be considered on a first-come-first-served basis; they should be considered based on need," she said.
"The lack of funding is a disaster for us," said centre principal Vermeulen. "It drastically curbs our growth."
Three deaf children may never be able to learn to speak should the National Lottery Fund fail to provide funds to a non-governmental organisation in Pretoria.
The Carel du Toit Centre has managed to teach more than 150 deaf children how to communicate verbally in its 10-year existence.
It is the only centre in the province which prepares hearing-impaired children from as young as one year for mainstream schooling, and more and more such children come to it every year.
However, this year the absence of funding from the National Lottery Board (NLB) has seen trust manager Thelma Anderson and principal Chrisna Vermeulen desperately searching for extra money as the possibility of sending children away and retrenching staff become a stark reality.
Anderson began working at the school six years ago when her grand-daughter Daniella Buckley, 9, who has impaired hearing, arrived at the centre.
"I was a retired nurse and got involved because of Daniella," Anderson said.
"Now I'm quite prepared to be out there, because these children really need me to be here."
More than 30 children, between one and seven, attend the centre daily. They receive therapy, schooling and have their hearing tested by qualified professionals.
In addition, they receive meals and assorted nursery school services.
The centre has received more than R600 000 over the past five years from the Lottery Board.
It applied for funding of R500 000 for this year - and it is still waiting to hear whether it will get anything.
"The funding we've received from the Lottery Board in the past has contributed to us being able to keep our doors open," Anderson said.
Only one third of the centre's budget came from the Lottery Board, but despite this it was currently running at a deficit.
"We've now been forced to look for new donors. If we don't manage to raise the money by September, three of our children will have to leave and four staff members may lose their jobs," she said.
Anderson said the centre was very cost-intensive because of the special therapy required and the cochlear implants needed for the children.
She said she was angry because the centre was informed that it was not eligible for funding this year due to the late submission of its application forms last year.
However, Anderson insisted the completed form was submitted three to five days before the closing date.
The centre had informed the Lottery Board of this and was now hoping there will be a change of mind and that the Lottery Board will pay up.
"Applicants cannot be considered on a first-come-first-served basis; they should be considered based on need," she said.
"The lack of funding is a disaster for us," said centre principal Vermeulen. "It drastically curbs our growth."