Rand Mutual (RMA) recently commemorated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and contributed to improving the lives of children by supporting a crèche.
On December 3, RMA partnered with the City of Johannesburg and the Department of Social Development in commemorating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. RMA sponsored numerous assistive devices, including crutches, prostheses and wheelchairs, as well as helping with the fitting of these devices.
The event saw a number of people with disabilities gaining more mobility: one young boy walked for the first time at the age of 10 after receiving a prosthesis. “This is very much in standing with our commitment to caring, compassionate compensation,” noted the RMA. “We live this motto in events like today’s.”
The organisation’s generosity reaches far beyond the sponsorship of assistive devices. It also recently made a substantial donation to Matala Landros Mankaba, a former miner, who used the funds to open a crèche for children in Burgersfort informal settlement.
Mankaba became a wheelchair user after a mining accident in 1994. He has been living on a 100 percent disability pension from RMA.
“A few months ago, Mankaba contacted us, seeking assistance from our social fund, which was established to help uplift the socioeconomic circumstances of the more impoverished communities where our beneficiaries live,” says Nomfundo Metula, general manager of sales and marketing at Rand Mutual (RMA).
She says: “He requested assistance in the form of chairs and tables for the crèche, and we asked him to send some photos of the facility so that we could better understand their needs.”
The photographs that Mankaba submitted to the RMA revealed that the building did not provide sufficient shelter for the approximately 30 children it serves, and the RMA decided to deliver a park home to act as a new facility, where children in the area could receive school-readiness education and meals.
“We are delighted to help make a difference in these children’s lives through the crèche, which is run by Matala Landros Mankaba, who is an exceptionally proactive and community-minded man,” Metula notes.
“Education, particularly early childhood development, is very important to us, as we believe that a solid learning foundation, through interventions such as Mankaba’s crèche, has the potential to make a lasting difference to the future of the children.”
Mankaba’s former employer, Bokoni Platinum, also made donations to the crèche, including the tables and chairs he had initially requested. Metula recalls: “When the children caught sight of their new bright crèche, they were very excited and their faces lit up with joy. We hope that this gesture will help to light up their futures by assisting the teachers to unlock each child’s potential.
“This is truly an instance of caring, compassionate compensation in action. Mankaba is proof that a disability does not need to hold you back. He remains an inspiration to us all.”
