WE WELCOME FINANCIAL GRANTS

DONOR GRANTS HAVE MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES FALLING UNDER PROGRAMMES RUN AT FOREST TOWN SCHOOL.  WITH YOUR PARTNERSHIP, WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE INNOVATIVE, PILOT MODELS OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, TREATMENT AND EMPLOYMENT THAT ARE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED, AND WHICH OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE ACCESSABLE BY OUR BENEFICIARIES.

The annual Government grant covers approximately 40% of the R3.5 million annual budget.   The remainder must be found through intensive fundraising.     We encourage Corporate Social Investment, enabling companies to score BBBEE ratings.     The school and all of its extensive programmes are rated at 84% compliant, however, recently this figure has increased to approximatley 90%.

Funds are needed for:

Running costs i.e. the daily needs of the school, municipal and other core expenses, meeting the many individualized needs of children with disability that crop up every day, administration

Departmental budgets – there are 33 departments operating on the school’s premises i.e. 

  • 15 educational departments with 28 classes
  • 3 therapy departments – Occupational, Speech and Physiotherapy
  • Social Welfare Department
  • Transport Department
  • Maintenance:  Grounds, buildings, school equipment and buses
  • Media Centre
  • Computer Centre
  • Administration
  • Work Experience Training Centre (WEP)
  • WEP@Work Employment of School Leavers in small business units located at the school
  • Skills Training Centre
  • Medical Wing
  • Admissions
  • Fundraising and Donor Funded Programme Management
  • Sunbeam Caregiver Training Centre
  • Feeding Scheme & HIV/Aids support.   

The above departments provide learner materials, teacher and therapists resources, specialized therapy and training equipment, medical and nursing support, running a fleet of 8 buses, provision of specialized devices for mobility, communication and classwork, computers, workshop materials for maintenance, equipment for cleaning and cleaning materials, provision of facilitators for specialized training for caregivers, educators, and people working with vulnerable children, national workshops for people caring for the disabled in rural and under-resourced areas, online website training, production training DVD’s and training booklets for national distribution, and the many other resources needed by children and people with disabilities in order to reach their best potential.