Daniel and Friends Fund: Moms 4 Moms

What is the Daniel and Friends Fund?

On the 23rd August 2013 little Daniel le Roux lost his lengthy and courageous battle with Leigh Syndrome, exactly one week after another little warrior, Mariele Laurie, succumbed to complications of the syndrome she suffered from, Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome. Professor Pieter Fourie, whose care of and love for Daniel and Mariele had gone over and beyond anything which might be considered fair professional expectation, was determined not to allow the heartache and devastation caused by such tragedy to go without lending itself to a higher purpose...and so shortly after Mariele and Daniel had earned their angel wings, Professor Fourie shared with Kate and Lianie, their mothers, his vision for an organisation which would provide much-needed support for other parents who might be on a similar journey. Just a few short months later, the Daniel and Friends Fund was born guided by, by this time, three special needs mothers, each symbolic of the three friends who had helped Daniel in the Biblical passage from which Professor Fourie had drawn his inspiration.

Since their launch in February 2014, the Daniel and Friends Fund (a registered non-profit organisation) and the dedicated and driven people behind it, have provided not only the emotional and psychological support often sought by parents of children with special needs, but have also committed to ensuring that these parents have had access to the necessary knowledge and training in order to equip them to care for their children in the best possible way that they can. While largely focusing on top priority issues like providing extremely affordable CPR courses, free therapy sessions, psychology-based programs for the parents, occasional donations of items/equipment necessary for caring for a child with special needs...the importance of also creating a fundamental base from which friendships and 'normalcy' can stem has not gone overlooked. To this end, the Daniel and Friends Fund mommies are often treated on special days like Mother's Day and Women's Day and, where possible, these invitations are extended to the entire family for celebrations such as Mandela Day, Christmas Day, etc.

The purpose of our blog is not only to provide the opportunity for sponsors, supporters and followers to stay in touch with the various projects and events we're busy with but also, and just as importantly, to provide an insight for others into what life entails for families on a special needs journey, as well as enlightening fellow parents to the fact that this journey need not be travelled alone...

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Moms 4 Moms - Housemarket

One of the most challenging, if not the most unwelcome, issues a family will deal with when having a child with special needs is the matter of financial exhaustion. Without doubt there are some families whose financial circumstances allows them the comfort of being able to easily absorb the additional and unexpected expenses which come in the form of intervention therapies, specialised nutrition, multiple doctor appointments, appropriate schooling/daycare, specialised equipment (wheelchairs, ventilators, etc)...to name but a few. But for most families, simply being able to carry these additional expenses within stride is not a possibility. Often, depending on the child's condition/s and individual needs, finding a suitable school/care facility is also not a possibility which brings with it yet another hurdle...additional costs on top of a decreased income.

For this reason, many moms of kiddo's with special needs have to create a means by which to supplement an already strained income and, more often than not, one which they are able to manage around caring for their child fulltime. The Daniel and Friends Fund Moms are, in particular, an incredibly creative and innovative group of ladies, each marketing their products individually through their chosen avenue...until an idea was born...a joint marketing platform which not only provides the opportunity for networking across our group of enthusiastic entrepreneurs, but also an opportunity for the community to come and get involved in a mutually-beneficial, informal setting. And so, with the help of some hugely-appreciated generosity from Christa Agenbag of the I-Learn Therapy Centre in Durbanville (who allowed us to use their beautiful garden, free of charge) we co-ordinated our very first Daniel and Friends Fund Housemarket!

Being our first Housemarket, expectations were conservative...but before we knew it, the garden was humming and filled with animated chatter about all sorts of things...exciting introductions, shared stories and, of course, the beautiful goodies on offering...