AFTER years of living in a world of limited sound and difficulty in communication, Ntshongweni’s Thandeka Mhlongo has finally been given the gift of hearing.
The Highway Mail recently wrote about how Mhlongo mysteriously started to lose her hearing at the age of 12.
Also read: Help Nthsongweni’s Thandeka hear again
The 32-year-old had to learn to live with her condition but still struggled to communicate as she only had one hearing aid and still needed assistance to help relay messages to people.
According to Mhlongo, due to a shortage in government hospitals, she had to settle for one and was desperate to raise funds for another one.
The Robin Hood Foundation heard her cry and worked hard to obtain funds for Mhlongo.
“At the Robin Hood Foundation, we really have a heart for people with disabilities. Several months ago, we heard of Thandeka Mhlongo needing a hearing aid via our contacts at Christian Social Services,” said founder and chairperson of the Robin Hood Foundation, Cindy Norcott.
“A few weeks later, we saw an appeal in the Highway Mail and we decided we really needed to step in. We approached Chep, one of our corporate donors, who really has a passion for helping people in need in the communities where they operate. Chep were very happy to help as they believe that being able to communicate will be the most effective way of empowering her to make a living and improve her life as well as being able to communicate with others and build relationships,” Norcott said.
The foundation approached local audiologist, Thabisile Bridget Tshezi who assessed Mhlongo at no charge and accepted the amount donated even though it didn’t cover the full cost of the device.
Her friend, Ayanda Mkhize from NPO, Lulisandla Social Outreach, has helped with her university registration forms for the Durban University of Technology as well as knocked on many doors to try and get her her second hearing aid.
“Our hard work has paid off and Thandeka has been accepted in university to study next year,” said Mkhize.
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