Durban - Children with disabilities are set to benefit from the annual Nappy Run that ends in December.
The public is urged to donate nappies for disabled children, many of whom receive day care in centres with limited resources and where nappies are a luxury.
The campaign, created in 2011, is a joint campaign between the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities (NCPPDSA) and the National Association for Persons with Cerebral Palsy.
Last year, 200 000 nappies were collected and they hope to double the number this year.
“Most women know the cost of a pack of newborn nappies,” says Therina Wentzel, national director of NCPPDSA. “Imagine the cost of larger sized nappies as an ongoing expense on your weekly shopping list. Worse still, imagine the kids in volunteer-run centres who are incontinent and unable to go to the toilet themselves, and then imagine the effect on these children of not having nappies!”
The World Health Organisation estimates there are approximately 300 000 children with disabilities in South Africa. Only a small number have access to schools with nearly half, an estimated 165 000 children with disabilities of school going age, being out of school.
The UN refers to children with disabilities as the world’s most vulnerable and exposed group and this description also applies to children with disabilities in our country.
The Nappy Run drive continues until December 3 and members of the public can drop their nappy donations at any office of the Association for Physical Disabilities (APD). Details of these are on the Nappy Run website: www.nappyrun.org.za
In KwaZulu-Natal, nappies can be dropped off at the Chatsworth, Wentworth or Phoenix offices of the APD.
Call 031 403 7041 for details or if you are unable to deliver them. – Daily News