OUR PURPOSE

Gomolemo’s Story

Gomo was 19 years old when she suffered a devastating stroke that left her unable to speak, unable to walk and unable to perform simple tasks like washing and grooming herself. The effects of her stroke were devastating on her family too. “Sometimes she wants to say something and it becomes blank. She can’t say anything. And as a mother I’m struggling also. What can I do? She wants to say something but she can’t. She can’t take out the words.” Gomo’s mother Gomo had given up on her hopes and dreams.

She no longer spent time with her friends because she was too shy to be seen in public as someone so disabled. She could no longer attend her studies and was confined to a life of isolation at home. But then she found Phila Sonke Wellness Initiative and was admitted to our bounce Back Journey program. Over a 15-month period Gomo attended regular rehabilitation sessions and started working on her goals.

They were simple. She wanted to be able to communicate her needs, clean the house, read her bible, eat with a knife and fork and feel confident to go to the shops with her friends again.

Today, Gomo can speak in short sentences and she’s been equipped with a communication booklet to help her engage more actively within her community.She can read bible verses out loud. She actively contributed to cleaning the house. She’s able to go to the shops with her family and friends and walk without any assistance.

She attends to her own personal hygiene needs. Gomo is clawing back her life and although life will always be different from what she’d initially hoped, she is learning that Life Is Meant For Living – even as a Person with a disability.