Finding the property was a journey of prayer and at the right time we were able to purchase ‘Huis Landi’. The land is perfectly located in that it borders the “Up with Downs” adult home and is situated just across the road from the daycare facility.
We demolished part of the existing house and extended and rebuilt the accommodation section to our individuals needs.
We made use of KWP Create to help us with the design. But as we went along, the project took a lot of rethinking and compromising to adjust to our young adults needs. At the moment we have 7 rooms, some sharing with carers but we can accommodate 12 individuals.
We have a beautiful facility for workshop, sensory room and braai area. Our veggie and flower garden is our pride.
Our potential adult residents are currently all learners at the Up with Downs Centre for Learners with Special Needs. They spend their mornings participating in a Life Skills program offered by the facility, and some also make use of the afternoon aftercare program. At this stage, the Up with Downs Centre is full and they are unable to offer placement in the day program to any new learners.
As we all know the desperate need for such a care facility we need to raise funds to enable us to move forward and would like you to join in our journey to accomplishing our goal to built a home which will minimize unnecessary sensory stimulation, has ample size rooms and is constructed with healthy non toxic building materials including lightening, heating and ventilation.
Donors are requested and encouraged to assist with the funding of this project to make this vision become a reality. The residents will be encouraged to be active, engaged in occupation on a daily basis, to participate in activities within the home and to be as independent as possible.
We are calling upon specialized expertise in the field off autism in South Africa and abroad to develop a pilot model that can be replicated in different towns to enable our adults to be close to family members.
Our environment needs to be adapted to create a tranquil routine based family setup where they feel loved and can express their individuality.