We met Thandeka when she was 28 and living in a small village in the Macubeni region. She was sitting on the floor of her mother’s house, with no wheelchair or other aids. She could only move by crawling forward, and hardly said a word; living in abject poverty, there was no electricity and practically no chance to integrate into local village life.

Today Thandeka is a confident and independent young woman with a ready smile, playing a full part in life. Via a new ramp, she is able to leave the house in her special wheelchair without assistance. Three days a week, she works on our vegetable farm in Macubeni. At our instigation, the government built a toilet outside the house (30 metres away), granted her disability benefit and connected a power supply to the house.

Just recently, Thandeka started driving a new electric wheelchair complete with trailer. She plans to open a small shop of her own to sell fresh produce from the vegetable farm to villages in the area. Thanks to the success of her journey, Thandeka’s life has changed and improved for the long term …