The second instalment of the PFA's South Africa 2013 blog, documenting the recent trip to South Africa. The team visited the Orion organisation based in Atlantis (a settlement outside of Cape Town) ...
The morning began early and we were glad to see the sun shining after yesterday's grey skies and rain. We had a long drive to Atlantis, a settlement outside of Cape Town. We were there to see a centre called The Orion Organisation an organisation which caters for people and children with physical disabilities and special learning needs. Their strap line is Empowering People Living with Disabilities. As well as a special day-care centre which looked after babies and children up to the age of 18, there is also an Activity day-care centre for adults with profound disabilities who are not able to participate in work centre activities.
The day-care centre for the children was full of kids, many with severe disabilities and all were loved and cared for by the team of staff who work here including physiotherapists, speech therapists and play staff. The kids were very interested in seeing themselves on our phones so we took loads of pictures of them-much to their delight.
Whilst the attendees of the day-care centres return home each evening, there were also residential facilities at Orion which were warm, welcoming and clean. Each resident had their own personal space as well as a shared kitchen, living room, outdoor area and bathrooms. Bedroom doors were decorated with certificates, photographs and drawings (Orion also has an enabling art centre where artists have the opportunity to express themselves through creating unique art work pieces and residents are encouraged to be creative and utilise their skills to create a platform for dialogue addressing social justice issues).
The work centred based activities were great places filled with energy and enabled groups of participants to work in a production line setting assembling, gluing, packing, sorting and recycling goods and products for local companies and industries. Within this set-up leadership skills are established and cultivated with Team Leadership opportunities for everyone. As we walked through the warehouse it was obviously a very productive and industrious environment. People were focusing hard on their work but took time to show us what they were doing. The strap line of the programme 'Here's Where Charity Works' was quite apparent and there were other empowering signs on the walls such as 'Fight For Your Rights'.
Despite this being the fifth visit to South Africa and being experienced at visiting scenes of poverty within townships and witnessing the massive social injustices that occur daily in this country, it is always moving to witness such commitment and dedication to equality in places such as this. Founded in 1982 Orion remains a mode, of hope to thousands of people with disabilities who have passed through its doors. As an organisation headed by CEO Hannl Cronje, Orion is committed to become the most preferred Therapeutic and Training Centre for people living with disabilities.
Rachel Yankey was heralded as a visiting celebrity and many residents posed for pictures with her. Football is a passion here and Orion has an AstroTurf where residents receive soccer training skills by Coaching for Hope Ambassador Janice Alexandra, who also played for South Africans national women's team. Janice and Rachel are fantastic female role models, as were the other women who worked with residents, many of whom had been working at the organisation for years.
We all came away from Orion wanting to find ways to help. Although the organisation receives a small amount of funding per person for the government they are very much reliant on sponsorship and charitable partners. Coaching for Hope are one such charitable partner and as a PFA and FIFPro supported charity it was good to know the PFA played a part in supporting this important community work.
From Atlantis we drove back into the City to Athlone stadium for a training session with a group of girls who were preparing for an International tournament in Turkey. The team comprised of girls representing Cape Town and most of them were from townships across the city. Two girls from townships including Langa, Mitchells Plain and Atlantis where football skills are taught by Coaching for Hope: Bread of Life, Isiaaqulo, making an impact through Sport, Orion, Mighty Superstars were having a wonderful opportunity to travel away from home and show the skills they have developed on an international arena. Most of the girls did not have passports before the trip was planned and one poor girl was devastated as she was unable to get the birth certificate needed to gain her passport as her mother was working far away on the East Cape and could not authorise the trip.
Rachel Yankey gave the girls a team building talk as they had not played together very much. We gave them PFA kit to wear so they felt like a team and then Rachel delivered an excellent session where they were put through their paces and benefitted from her own experience as a coach and experienced footballer.
For more information on Orion see website: www.orionfriendship.org
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