VISUALLY IMPAIRED LEARNER GETS HELP

By Masilo Malakwane

QWAQWA – A Grade 11 learner from Moteka Secondary School, Ofentse Mmusi who is visually impaired breathed a sigh of relief after Tlholo Foundation stepped in to assist him.

Tlholo Victory Foundation, a local company owned by a prominent businessman Thite Titi, responded first to reach out to the school in an effort to address Mmusi‘s  problem.

The foundation has done a remarkable job in ensuring that the 17 year old from section 2, Mandela Park gets the best necessary medical attention so that he pursues his dream acquiring education.

The Foundation Public Relations Officer, Dimakatso Molefe, detailed how they managed to reach out following  the school’s call for assistance, and managed to cover all of Ofentse’s medical expenses for him to undergo two successful ophthalmology procedures.

 “We received a letter from the school regarding Mmusi’s challenge and disseminated it to the management. After thorough consideration, we got the green light hence we managed to reach out to this young man” she said.

Mmusi’s Aunt Nozipho Dakile expressed her appreciation to the Foundation and the school for playing a key role in ensuring that Mmusi gets the necessary support in regaining his eyesight.

 “We noticed Ofentse’s visual problem back in 2018 and we took him to all primary health care facilities and to hospital but the problem remained unsolved till this year as we couldn’t afford his medical expenses from specialists”

Dakile further expressed her gratitude towards the Foundation and the school for reaching out to her nephew. Introverted Ofentse who was sitting next to her granny (??????or Aunt??) on a couch during the interview was able to talk us through his incredible journey to recovery which almost ruined his self-esteem.

 “I can finally see clearly and would like to convey my appreciation to the school and the Foundation for such great help.” He said in most cases he had no choice but to sit closer to the chalk-board and his teachers had to increase the font size of the question papers to accommodate him. He said his dream is to become a food scientist and a farmer someday.

Mmusi‘s teacher at Moteka Secondary School, Keneuwe Mphuthi said she saw a great potential in Ofentse while marking his scripts and noticed that he had challenges with his vision. She informed her Head of Department about the problem and that’s when the school decided to go out in search for good Samaritans who would assist Ofentse to get proper medical attention.