Sibaya Community Trust has partnered with Triad School to build a skills development centre which will help autistic children.
Chairman of Sibaya Casino and Sibaya Community Trust, Vivian Reddy, said the project is being dedicated in Memory of Jayden Muller, a student at this school who sadly lost his life due to the recent KwaZulu-Natal floods when their home collapsed onto his family.
"This being Autism Month, we felt it important to support autism and the most tangible way was to build a legacy project in terms of this infrastructure you see, we hope to see many children benefit from this," Reddy said.
He said Autistic children are often turned away by other schools and institutions due to their behavioural challenges and lack of self-help skills.
Reddy commended the school and the many other institutes who so ably take care of our children with autism.
The partnership will give children with autism the opportunity to develop their culinary skills through the fully fitted and operational kitchen provided by the Trust.
It also offers a functional environment to express their creative abilities in sewing and fashion design.
Reddy said the facility will also provide a platform to promote their artistic and business skills through a print shop, they will be able to design and print T-shirts and other promotional items.
"We have made it possible to open these doors to a new life changing service for our children which is going to bring them so much of joy. I have committed further to equipping the facility with sewing machines and T-shirt printing machines to help make the facility fully operational," he added.
Sibaya Community Trust has always been at the forefront of social upliftment with a large portfolio of evidence in assistance to over 120 charity organisations with a spend of over R230 to impact the lives of the challenged, less fortunate and vulnerable in our society.
"We have invested in infrastructure, health, education and much more," Reddy said.
Deputy Minister for Social Development, Hendrietta Bogapane-Zulu addressed the event and spoke of the disaster left behind from the recent KZN floods highlighting that the nightmare still continues, there are still missing bodies to be found.
She shared stories of the loss of lives and the effect on families.
She further commended Reddy for his philanthropy and work in uplifting humanity and for his funding towards supporting victims in the recent KZN floods
"Social workers and teachers who work with autistic children are criticial in helping them to carve their future. It is clear that people with disabilities are actually very able people who need all the support that can be given," she added.
IOL