Our squad had the opportunity to help put on a day of fun for the special needs community here in Jeffrey’s Bay. Throughout South Africa, the continent of Africa and the world, people with special needs are at a disadvantage. The services that they could benefit from like physical therapy, speech therapy, animal therapies, etc are not readily available. Often, families are ostracized with thinking that the parents have done some terrible thing and someone has performed witchcraft against them, if a child is different than average. The families are separated from community for fear of the witchcraft or bad mojo, rubbing off on someone else.
Same Same But Different was an event for adults and children. The adults had sessions learning about different disabilities and organizations that are trying to help families and children in need of assistance here in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The children were split into three groups and had sessions with music, dance, a puppet show, heard from Miss Deaf South Africa and decorated cupcakes. Afterwards, every child enjoyed a happy meal from McDonald’s and played on a bounce castle, if able and had a fun with bubbles.
We had children from Global Leadership Academy, (https://www.gla-jbay.org/) a high school that is inclusive of all types (black, colored and white) and classes (poor, foreigners, rich, middle class, from missionary families) of people in Jeffrey’s Bay, teaching, training and discipling the leaders of tomorrow, who volunteered to help our squad with the children. This was a time for them to interact with people of different abilities and to learn that we are all made in the image of God, precious in His sight, we are all equal.
Many of the children came from Rainbow Centre, (https://victory4all.com/what-we-do/special-education/) a ministry that is helping to meet the needs of differently able children in this region. The children came with great expectancy for a day out and to be able to enjoy a live puppet show. Our squad was able to work with one of our ministry partners and put on a comical puppet show for the children, their siblings and parents, fulfilling their wish for a live puppet show.
Everyone who came to Same Same But Different was encouraged by love. Because of Jesus’s love and gift of salvation, we are able to love others, regardless of ability level. Having an inclusion event was a good learning time for all.
