GGV Disability Forum 16th Year Celebrations

Our organization was conceived out of a need to show that persons with unseen mental disabilities are in actual effect resilient, hard-working, smart, and innovative people. We were 16 years old on the 3rd of October 2023.

This year however we celebrated our 16th anniversary on the 16th of October 2023, not only for the number 16, but for a very special reason. Two groups of people visiting from the Netherlands decided unaware of each other’s plans to pay us a visit on the 16th. Both of them awarded us funding for different reasons.

The Ubuntu Foundation of the OBC Bemmel School is the partner school of Emil Weder High School, the local secondary school in Genadendal.

When they came to South Africa on their very first visit, Theola Hector, one of the teachers of Emil Weder approached us to have a craft workshop with the kids of OBC Bemmel, Emil Weder, and Mind Over Matter. We prepared for the workshop, the kids loved it and a close relationship was born. Over the years that they visited us, we were very thankful because they would always bless us with money, that we could put to use for our programs.

Celebrations should be celebrated and be happy, but both group’s visits brought tears to our eyes. It was a very emotional celebration because France, Stella, and Arnold would not visit South Africa on behalf of the school in the future, we hope they could in their personal capacity. They sponsored R60 000.00 and we thought, seeing that they are teachers and represent a school, we would use it for our literacy classes. So many of our clients declared they wish they could like some of our group members read the bible in the morning devotions that from the word go is never neglected, even when we are in crunch time of delivering an order. 

The other group was the wife and 2 sons of Ben Bartels, the man with the big heart, who was the leader of our student exchange program overseas, and Dr Karin Benjamin on this side. He lost his fight against cancer and asked that money should be collected for us at his funeral, his wife and two sons travelled all the way from the Netherlands and gave us a beautiful box filled with sweets, and a voucher of R43 000.

The Ubuntu Foundation made it possible for us to brag. During one of OBC Bemmel’s visits, France had to fly home in business class, he broke his leg, this is when we grabbed the opportunity and exported our products for the first time. I dare to say it was this achievement that landed the reward for craft and design in our laps from one of our funders… we could report even though on a small scale that we exported our products. 

The second award we received in 2022 for the positive effect that we bring about in the lives of persons living with a disability, is because of stories like these. Where do you experience two groups that know nothing about each other decide to visit us, with funds, on the same day in October which happens to be the 16th of October marking the number of years we have existed as a group of persons with disabilities… and for that matter, the celebrations should have been done on the 3rd of October, 23 but did not realize because of a number of things that got in the way.

We are truly blessed and I hope that we can empower our people to apply their minds to forget what they cannot do, and start to do the things that they are capable of doing, unapologetically!

The guests in attendance were 3 teachers from the OBC Bemmel School in the Netherlands, the wife and two sons of Ben Bartels, The Netherlands students currently working here, The Mayor Mary Liebenberg, The ambassador for persons with disabilities, Denzil Jacobs, Our ward 2 Councillor Chris Cloete, The interim Chairperson of GGV Disability Forum and co-ordinator of the Hann students, The Yebonairs working at the library, the staff of GGv Disability Forum and most importantly the clients with disabilities.

We want to thank each and every person who contributed to this private celebration and we will grow stronger united in Christ and persevering against all the odds.

Celestine Smith
Program Manager
GGV Disability Forum/Mind over Matter Craft Program