MARCH 2013
A Newsletter for Supporters of the South African Federation for Mental Health
FROM THE DIRECTOR'S PEN 2013 has arrived and all of us hit the ground running with a few major challenges that had to be faced and tackled head-on. The recent de-registration or so-called non-compliancy of tens of thousands of NonGovernmental, Non-Profit and Public Benefit Organisations by the National Department of Social Development, poses a serious risk to the provision of welfare services to the country's most vulnerable groups and individuals. If these organisations are not registered as NGOs, PBOs or NPOs, they can no longer be funded by the state or private donors to provide services to the public. This would have disastrous consequences - not only in those vulnerable communities, but on society as a whole.
Mrs Bharti Patel National Director
Following a meeting between the Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, and the Ministerial Task Team on Nonprofit Organisations, it was decided to reinstate the deregistered NPO's and reflect them as registered on the NPO database while they make every effort to ensure their compliance and ascertain their correct status; and give the opportunity to NPO's which were not de-registered but are non-compliant, to submit outstanding reports by 30 June 2013. It is an undisputed fact that Government does not have the resources or capacity to render the essential services to our country's most vulnerable citizens, which are being rendered by the NGO sector. NGOs that have been in existence for several decades and are in good standing, have also been affected. As the National Office of the S.A Federation for Mental Health, we are pleased to report that all our official documentation, governance and financial accountability, are in place. We continue to rely heavily on our loyal donors for their ongoing support of our worthy cause. We have a duty to stand together as a society to protect the sector. SAFMH will do whatever we have to, to prevent the focus being taken away from service delivery. Going forward into 2013, we are proud of the Mental Health Watch that is firmly in place. Any violation against the human rights of a person with an intellectual disability or psychiatric disability can be reported via the register on our website or telephonically and will be followed up by the National Office. We have also secured a new partnership between SAFMH and Webber Wentzel Attorneys and ProBono.Org, aimed at providing free legal assistance to persons with mental disabilities, where appropriate. Read more about this on page 3.
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FROM THE DIRECTOR'S PEN (CONT.)
INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY CAN AFFECT YOU TOO Some of the first words that come to mind for most people when they hear the words Intellectual Disability, are: curse, abortion, disillusionment, despair, tragedy…the list goes on. Four out of every one hundred individuals in South Africa live with some type of Intellectual Disability and yet, not nearly enough is known about it. Intellectual Disability refers to a disability that limits the way a person's brain functions, along with their ability to adapt or relate to the world around them. It can affect anyone: any mother can give birth to a baby with Intellectual Disability, or any person could have a brain injury as result of an accident on the road, in sport or even at home. It can vary from mild to severe or profound where a person is completely reliant on care workers to tend to their every need as they are unable to walk, talk, feed themselves, etc.
March is Intellectual Disability Awareness month and Human Rights Day is also commemorated annually on 21 March. We've spoken with 2 parents of persons with intellectual disability as well as one of our Mental Health Care Users to get a more personal perspective on what it means to live with intellectual disability. Read more about this on page 2 and 3. The Federation invests a lot of effort into raising awareness on these two important issues. Why not show your support by wearing something green on the 21st? Some days it become quite daunting when one considers all that could get in our way of providing quality services to the people of South Africa. What we do realize, time and time again, is that we certainly cannot do it alone. Despite the many challenges we face during any given year, it remains a privilege to be of service to persons with mental disabilities. We can face tomorrow knowing that you, our loyal donor and friend, stand beside us to cheer us on and to support us along the way. I thank you most sincerely for your ongoing support. It is invaluable to the Federation and its mission. We trust that we can continue to count on your support during 2013 and beyond!
Yours in mental health
Mrs Bharti Patel National Director
The month of March is nationally recognised as Intellectual Disability Awareness Month. The South African Federation for Mental Health's awareness programme during this month aims to be a preventative, educational programme focusing on youth and intellectual disability. The objectives of the programme are to target high school youth (the future generation) and equip them with basic information on intellectual disability, whilst sensitising them to issues of stigma and discrimination surrounding intellectual disability and informing them about lifestyle choices relating to the prevention thereof. Furthermore, the programme envisions using the youth as catalysts of change, whereby the youth are able to pass this information onto their fellow peers, family members and community at large.
A key message that is being promoted is that persons with intellectual disabilities deserve equal rights and respect like everyone else, and are able to lead fulfilling lives: Lindiwe Shayi, mother of two boys, one born with Intellectual Disability 11 years ago says: “I had complications in my pregnancy around 20 weeks and that's when they found out that our precious little boy had Down Syndrome. My first reaction was that of shock, fear and great confusion. I kept thinking 'why me?' 'Did I do anything wrong to have caused it?' My husband was very supportive. We went through the different emotions and talked about it constantly. We decided that we would go ahead with the pregnancy, regardless of what the severity of the disability may be. We told our friends and family before Jabu was born. It was amazing to experience the different reactions from people. Some accepted the news and offered their support. We were told by some that it was a curse because the ancestors were not happy. Others firmly believed that our son could be healed through a miracle… Educating yourself on the type of disability your child has, helps a great deal. Acceptance is the first step for you as a parent. As much as we believe in integrating our child in mainstream life, Jabu goes to a special school as this is best for him. We treat him no different than his younger brother. We have instilled the same values in both of them. The same rules apply. We take him out whenever we can and let him live as normal a life as possible. There is no disability in our home - only love and respect for one another.”
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Sandy Rademeyer is mom to Tyrone (aged 29) with Down Syndrome. “I was 18 when Tyrone was born. Only after his birth was I informed that he was not 'normal'. I felt total denial - it was like a death in the family. In those days people believed Down Syndrome only affected older couples and not someone as young as me. It took a very long time for me to accept that my child was different. Through the support of my family, I eventually came to accept it. For the past 8 years Tyrone has been working at Pick n Pay as a packer. The people who live in the area and shop there have grown fond of him. It gives him a sense of belonging and selfworth. We have tried to keep his life as normal as possible. Tyrone is also an outstanding swimmer and set the first world record for persons with Down Syndrome in the UK in 2002. He won 3 subsequent competitions and recently returned from Italy where he also fared well. As a parent of a child with an intellectual disability, I have one wish in particular: that there would be more room in the workplace to accommodate persons with Intellectual Disability. Like Tyrone, there are so many individuals with abilities, albeit somewhat limited, who are able to function well within a working environment and yet, it does not happen.” Jaco Gerber (40) lives with intellectual disability and serves on the management committee of the South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH). He remembers how hard it was for him as a youngster to concentrate in school. Jaco is computer literate and often spends time creating documents of some kind - mostly for his own use. He loves to read and enjoys any book that is entertaining and grabs his attention. He delivers newspapers daily in his area and enjoys the time spent outside in his community. Jaco says: “people are friendly to me - but I am also friendly first. It is nice to be greeted when I'm out.” When asked what message he would like to give to people, he replied: 'We may be disabled but we are human. All we ask is that people respect us the same way they do other 'normal' people.”
The above are the stories of individuals who have mild intellectual disability. There are different degrees of intellectual disability (mild, moderate, severe and profound) and also different causes - in fact, over 200 possible causes have been identified. In some cases, there is no apparent reason for the disability. Other times, however, intellectual disability can be prevented. Young people and parents-to-be must understand the damage that the use of alcohol and drugs during pregnancy can have on the foetus. Help us to help those living with intellectual disability as well as support those who care for someone who has a mental disability. You have the power. Contact us today to make a difference!
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SAFMH SECURES LEGAL SUPPORT FOR PERSONS WITH MENTAL DISABILITIES In its 90+ years of existence, SAFMH has had many encounters with Mental Health Care Users who, for various reasons, have been in need of legal assistance because of issues such as abuse and violations of their human rights. The media also often reports on cases where persons with mental illness or Intellectual Disability are prosecuted without the required legal assistance. Some cases also involve persons who have been abused within their family environments, or even by service providers who are meant to be supporting these individuals. As a National Office, we recognise the need to try and increase legal assistance for Mental Health Care Users who might be at risk of having their human rights violated, and feel that it is an important role for us to play nationally in terms of furthering the cause for mental health in SA. We are therefore very proud to announce a new partnership between SAFMH, Webber Wentzel Attorneys and ProBono.Org, aimed at providing free legal assistance to persons with mental disabilities, where appropriate. The process will be facilitated via the National Office through to our legal partners who will then do further assessments of the enquiry and manage the process from there on. We as National Office will continue to monitor the progress of the case, and will provide support as and when required. It is our hope that this new initiative will go a long way towards improving the lives of persons with mental disabilities in South Africa.
GOLF DAY IN SUPPORT OF NORTH WEST MENTAL HEALTH North West Mental Health Klerksdorp, one of our 17 Mental Health Societies, is a Non Governmental Welfare Organisation that renders social work services to persons with intellectual-, psychiatric-, and physical disabilities in the Matlosana district. They aim to empower these persons to achieve the highest possible level of functioning in the community by developing skills, striving for recognition and preventing abuse and stigmatisation. Like all other NGOs, this mental health society is also dependent upon a small governmental subsidy and substantial donations from the private sector to enable them to render essential services. Towards the end of 2012, OVERLAND Klerksdorp held a Golf Day in support of North West Mental Health Klerksdorp. What an overwhelming surprise it was when presented with an amazing R176 800.00 donation! It is with the continued support of many donors like Overland that we can continue reaching out to persons with mental disabilities and provide the necessary intervention, care and support to those in need.
CASUAL DAY: ALIVE AND WELL! In recent times, you may have read and/or heard somewhat confusing reports about Casual Day and its continued existence. We are pleased to report that Casual Day, as you've known and loved it for many years, is very much alive and kicking! It has always been a project managed by the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities (NCPPDSA) and will now be managed internally by them. The S.A Federation for Mental Health is one of the main beneficiaries of Casual Day and many organisations benefit from the initiative. We are delighted to say that the NCPPDSA is confident that Casual Day will remain a huge success this year, despite other similar projects mushrooming.
Make a note in your diary to support the South African Federation for Mental Health on Casual Day every year in September, by ordering your Casual Day stickers directly from us! The Federation receives a percentage of the total number of stickers our organisation sells.
Be Connected Join us on Facebook! 'Like' our page and participate in interesting discussions and debates on all matters concerning mental health. This is a great platform from which to interact with others and where important issues can be raised and addressed.
CONTACT US
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Postal Address: Private Bag X3053, Randburg 2125 Enquiries: Telephone: +27 (0) 11 781 1852 Facsimile: +27 (0) 11 326 0625 General Enquiries: safmh@sn.apc.org
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Visit our website at www.safmh.org.za for more information on the role and function of the South African Federation for Mental Health. Remember that you can now safely make donations online - directly via our website! It's fast, secure and convenient.