Last week, inspiring Capetonian initiatives Steps Clubfoot Care and VoQoL walked away with a combined total of R1.4 million during the SAB Foundation Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards.
Steps Clubfoot Care
For their efforts to improve the lives of children born with clubfoot, a common birth defect that affects around 2 000 children in South Africa each year, Steps Clubfoot Care received R800 000 in grant funding. The organisation seeks to revolutionise the treatment of clubfoot by building capacity for excellent care and maximising the impact of treatment. They do this by providing clubfoot braces as well as training and clinical support for medical professionals.
VoQoL (Voice Activated Quality of Life)
VoQoL, another Cape Town based organisation, walked away with a grant of R 600 000. VoQoL is a voice-activated tech device that gives quadriplegic and paraplegic people the freedom to control their home environments using verbal commands.
This includes controlling household devices like lights, televisions, radios and air conditioners as well as accessing information online such as weather forecasts and news. The innovation seeks to improve quality of life by enhancing operator’s ability to be self-sufficient and control their surroundings.
Ntandokazi Nodada, SAB Foundation Social Innovation Project Manager, said:
“These organisations were recognised by the SAB Foundation’s Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards because of their significant contributions towards the upliftment of people with disabilities in South Africa.”
Through the awards, the SAB Foundation finds, supports and scales social innovations that demonstrate a sustainable business model while solving a critical social problem. To date, they have committed over R75 million towards promoting social innovation and supported 163 businesses that solve social issues and provide solutions to people with disabilities.
To find out more about Steps Clubfoot Care go to www.steps.org.za or visit www.coraltech.co.za/voqol-project/ to find out more about VoQoL. For more information on the SAB Foundation’s Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards visit www.sabfoundation.co.za.