The QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) has numerous programmes and projects aimed at supporting quadriplegics and paraplegic to live their lives to the fullest potentials whether it is through more independence with a driver’s licence or skills development.
It’s flagship skills development programme is the Work Readiness Programme, which supports quadriplegics and paraplegics in bridging the gap between unemployment and employment by providing them will the soft skills required in the workplace and supporting them with learnerships and career opportunities.
Many have benefitted from the programme. One such candidate, Irvin Msebenzeleni Ntsibantsiba, wrote QASA a letter to express his gratitude for the programme. Irvin comes from a challenging background.
Born in the Eastern Cape, he had tuberculosis of the spine as a child, which left him paralysed and a wheelchair user. He was sent to a boarding school in Umtata, the Ikwezi Lokusa Special School and eventually, moved to Cape Town as his hometown was too inaccessible. Irvin, however, considers his disability a blessing in disguise for the opportunities it afforded him.
“If I didn’t have this disability, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to school. We are a family of five children of which I’m the third. All of my sisters and brothers were looking after my father’s cattle and they never went to school. I am the only one who went to a boarding school,” he says.
Irvin participated in the QASA Work Readiness Programme and, as a result, secured an internship with Mzansi Digital Republic. He writes to QASA:
Dear QASA,
I want to express my sincere gratitude for all the effort you have taken during the Work Readiness Programme and for considering me an eligible candidate for this internship. I gladly accept the offer to work as an intern for Mzansi Digital Republic. It is an exciting opportunity for me to nurture my professional growth at your esteemed organisation.
I want to ensure you that my coursework has prepared me to take the responsibilities of this internship seriously. I hope to make positive and productive use of my talent and education.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity and I look forward to learning a lot more from you and your team. So, I am doing very good with my employer, Mzansi Digital Republic.
As a person, I feel that I have outstanding characteristics. I am young, energetic, friendly, confident and always willing to take up new challenges. I have a great personality and love interacting with people. I also have excellent communication skills.
A personal strength would be my ability to persevere. I am a very dedicated person, hardworking, assertive and have a strong sense of responsibility. Punctuality is extremely important to me. I am flexible and accommodating person.
Yours sincerely,
Irvin Msebenzeleni Ntsibantsiba
If you would like to learn more about the QASA Work Readiness Programme or apply to participate in the programme, contact QASA at projectcoordinator@qasa.co.za or 031 767 0352.
