Community members approach us with confidence as they trust that we will collectively find a solution to their problems. We take pride in our work and always ensure that the burdens of the community are made a bit lighter. Dombi Mbili is one of many residents who believe in our work on Accessing Justice and this is why.
“The Centre helped me help myself” – Dombi
Dombi Mbili is a single parent who resides in KwaMakhutha with her four unemployed children and four grandchildren. The amputation of Dombi’s leg due to diabetes left her unemployed, battling to apply for a disability grant, and struggling to move around without a wheelchair. During this time, Dombi remembered that the KwaMakhutha Community Resource Centre had been a helping hand in assisting her late husband to apply for his pension.
With this in mind, Dombi confidently asked her children to approach the Centre for help. Upon hearing of Dombi’s plight, our Paralegal Activists visited her home to assess the situation and to quickly intervene. When they arrived at the home, they realised that she immediately needed a wheelchair because her home was located down a gravel hill and her toilet was located outside. The waiting list for a wheelchair provided by government is very long and Dombi could not wait for years. Our Paralegal Activists searched far and wide for wheelchair donors who could assist Dombi immediately. An appeal was made to the organisation called Free Chair Mission for a temporary wheelchair for Dombi to use while she was on the waiting list. Within weeks, her temporary wheelchair was delivered. The temporary wheelchair gave Dombi much needed independence. She is now able to move around freely and easily. Dombi is grateful that a burden has been lifted off her shoulders and that her grievances were dealt with efficiently.
Dombi also needed help with her disability grant application. Since she cannot read or write, applying for a disability grant was a difficult task. Before her leg was amputated she had been a self employed woman, but her disability forced her into unemployment. Our Paralegal Activists played their role by assisting her in applying for the disability grant. They explained the application process, assisted her with the completion of the forms, and conducted the necessary follow ups on the application. With the help from many of us at the KwaMakhutha Community Resource Centre, she now receives her disability grant on a monthly basis and she is able to feed her family.
Dombi and her household are some of the many KwaMakhutha residents that have seen a change in their lives for the better, and this is why we continue to pour our hearts into what we do.
We take pride in our work and always ensure that community members who come to us for assistance leave better able to tackle life’s challenges.
Together we can improve more lives by working together and sharing ideas. We would love to hear about your community empowerment stories and how your community responds to issue such as these. We invite you to share your ideas so we can all move forward together.