The Skills Development Hub for the Blind in Mpumalanga has hosted a cooking competition for the best potjiekos in town, to raise funds for the school.
It’s a school for the blind and visually impaired people between 18 to 50 years and offers courses in entrepreneurship and computer studies. The visually impaired students and facilitators took part in the potjie competition.
The Mpumalanga Blind Skills Hub is situated in the heart of Mbombela. It is an institution for blind and partially sighted people from all corners of province. However, financial challenges hamper the institution from achieving its operation goals.
One of the students, Jabulani Mahlangu, has been blind for over 10 years. Mahlangu lives alone but his condition has never prevented him to cook good scrumptious meals. He was part of the competition and shares his experience.
“My life changed because before 2015 I joined the disabled centres, I’m thinking around Mpumalanga I thought I’m alone who have visual impact, so when I joined the disabled centres I see my friend and I’ve got my family there because the visual impacts lot of things changed in my life because I no longer feel offended because I feel like everything is fine by me,” says Mahlangu.
Prince Ngema, from the Mkhondo Municipality, who is also blind, loves cooking. He appreciates the opportunity to showcase his skills in the potjie competition.
“I can facilitate, a person blind like me that’s what is a computer and how we can use a computer. How to do shots even the phones some just to know a phone because in South Africa everything is changing every time that’s all. I’m already, totally blind but at the end I can wash my clothes and iron them, even cleaning my room alone and I can cook,” says Ngema.
The competition is aimed at encouraging the students to hone their skills in the kitchen and raise funds for the institution.
Blind Skills Development Hub CEO Fanie Msiza says they decided to have the competition as a vehicle to raise funds. He says their main goal is also to demonstrates that the blind and partially sighted people are able.
“This drive is to raise funds for the students where we actual teaching them Microsoft Power Point and Excel brail included, we have got two parts, we have those actual doing the entrepreneurial courses skills, the ones that are doing the computers. We actually having a challenge in far as the transport is concerned and food as well, so because we actually doing it from the pockets of our own, so this drive is actually hoping to raise funds,”
The institution says it’s battling to stay afloat to keep its doors open and would welcome any assistance.
