Friday, July 30, 2010

Greetings from South Africa!

Sawubona!

So far, we’ve been given a great overview of what the QuadPara Association of South Africa [QASA] is all about. Here it is in four words: Empowerment, Disability, Employment, and Advocacy. The purpose of the organization is to ensure that para- and quadriplegics live a full and self-sufficient life by empowering them with all the tools they need to live life well-equipped. This means everything from supplying batteries for powering wheelchairs to providing job coaching in order to secure employment. Like its members, QASA must also be self-sufficient. This autonomy is exhibited in QASA’s strong financial backbone; the organization is a brand that operates with the spirit of social entrepreneurship. QASA owns a grocery, lodge, beachfront amusement park named “Mini-Town”, and a digital village (computer workshop)—significantly employing those in the disabled community. QASA also uses attractive products and catchy but proactive slogans to strengthen the brand and advocate for public safety. The change that this organization has made on the disability movment is tremendous. They've done everything from improving safety in the game of South African rugby to hosting a successful protest until the 2010 World Cup stadiums respected disabled patrons. We're excited to learn more about this organization and contribute to its long-standing history of results.