An estimated 600âŻ000 children with disabilities are out of school, according to a 2019 Human Rights Watch article, but the L.U.C.C.A Support and Care Centre in Randburg is bridging this gap by supporting neuro-atypical children from birth to 21 years with their diverse educational, vocational, and functional mobility needs.
The centre was founded by Alison Moschetta, who struggled for years to find a school for her son, Lucca, who has a rare genetic terminal deletion of chromosome 6p.25 â 6p23. She resigned from her 25-year career in 2014 to establish the facility, which caters for children with multiple challenges, including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairments, neurological delays, autism, blind, premature babies, sensory integration difficulties, and development delays.
âOur school recognises each childâs unique challenges and creates a multicultural environment where theyâre not treated as special needs children but just children with different needs,â says Moschetta. âOur objective is to foster a desire to learn, boost self-confidence, and nurture the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development of each child.â
The school was home to 67 children, but 34 of them couldnât return after their parents were financially affected by the pandemic. The school subsequently had to lay off 18 staff members, hasnât been able to pay its rent, and is currently in a state of survival.
To help the 34 children return to school, the L.U.C.C.A centre launched the See the ABLE, not the LABEL campaign, to raise funds to subsidise school fees for as many children as possible. Although the campaign has generated just over R13âŻ000 in two months, it still falls short of covering the annual fee for a single childâs education and therapy, which costs R120âŻ000.
These children need to return to school because, unlike neurotypical children who stagnate if they donât go to school, special needs children regress. By keeping the children in school, they can also grow to become independent and integrate into society.
“We’re blown away by the work the L.U.C.C.A school is doing, and the number of young lives impacted by Alisonâs vision,â says Taylor Kwong, CSI Manager at Vuma. âBy providing abundant and seamless connectivity to the school, weâre making an important difference to the daily experiences of the learners and their dedicated teachers – not only enabling the children with uninterrupted learning, but weâre also empowering them and their families by creating opportunities that give them a place in the world, like any other child.â
Visit luccaspecialkids.co.za to sponsor a child, volunteer, or donate essential goods and resources to help contribute to the schoolâs running expenses and give every child an opportunity to reach for the extraordinary.
