A South African army unit recently donated 100 pairs of school shoes to a local special needs school. This is according to Anthea Williams, principal of Dorothea Special School in Cloetesville.
Ten members of the Chief Langalibalele Rifles, a reserve force unit in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), visited Dorothea Special School on 29 July to donate school shoes, according to Helga Carelse, a private in the unit and the mother of a learner at Dorothea.
Boxes of school shoes were donated to Dorothea Special School on 29 July by the Chief Langalibalele Rifles, an army reserve force unit, according to Helga Carelse, a private in the unit. Maria Visser, a class assistant at Dorothea, said she appreciated that the unit members who visited the school actually interacted with the kids when they came to donate the shoes. “[It is] nice that people out there actually recognise our children,” she said. PHOTO: Reid Donson
“Last year, we gave [shoes] to a school in Bonteheuwel, but not for special needs kids,” said Carelse. “So I decided that, this year, we’re gonna do something different and give to the special needs kids.”
The donation is part of an initiative the unit started in September 2024, where members raise money to buy shoes on sale at Spar and donate them to schools in need, according to Carelse.
Anthea Williams has been principal of Dorothea Special School since 2009. “We are a beacon of hope,” said Williams. “We live by the following saying: ‘There will always be uncertainties, but in the face of uncertainty, there’s always hope’.” PHOTO: Reid Donson
“Last year, we gathered 16 pairs,” said Carelse. “This year, we said we’re gonna give 200.”
The unit donated 100 pairs of shoes to Dorothea and 100 pairs to Athlone School for the Blind this year, she said.
‘A beacon of hope’
Dorothea, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, is a school for children on the autism spectrum and with severe and profound intellectual challenges, according to Williams.
“We are a beacon of hope,” said Williams. “We strive to be […] a school of excellence, making special education accessible for everybody.”
Desonia Hartogh (left), a junior primary teacher, and Linda Carelse (right), a school nurse, both work at Dorothea Special School in Cloetesville. Dorothea is a school for children on the autism spectrum, with severe intellectual disability, and with profound intellectual disability, according to Carelse. “The difference between the severe and the profound is that the severe has got an IQ below 50, but they can still do academic work in the class, where the profound [learners] need a high level of support in the class,” she said. PHOTO: Reid Donson
The donated shoes will be allocated to students based on a needs assessment conducted by Linda Carelse, the school nurse and project manager at Dorothea, in which she visits classrooms and asks teachers for their input to determine which children are most in need, she said.
Carelse said that while they are grateful for the unit’s donation of children’s size thirteen, one, and two shoes, they are still looking for donations of bigger shoe sizes.
“We still have a need for the other sizes,” said Carelse. “Like, there’s a learner in this class here next [to my office], he is a size three. And, you know, I think he’s wearing a two now. But the feet are bigger than the two. So, now, you know how it is… the back part of the shoe is now longer than where the sole is.”
A table in the reception’s waiting area at Dorothea Special School in Stellenbosch. The school’s vision statement is: “Leading school for optimal growth.” PHOTO: Reid Donson