The visually impaired scholars and management at Rivoni School for the Blind at Elim rejoiced when a Sandton-based company recently handed them R200 000 and 89 pairs of school shoes.

Chancellor House Holdings’ Mr Molahlehi Msimanga indicated that his company had heard the school’s call for help. “The call was made in Limpopo and it reverberated through the walls of Limpopo to  Chancellor House Holdings in Gauteng.”

He said that they were making an investment of this nature in the province, hoping that some of children at the school for the blind would one day work for the company he represented. “All things are possible, and as Chancellor House Holdings, we believe in possibilities,” he said.

Rivoni School for the Blind is an initiative of the Rivoni Society for the Blind. It was established in 2006 after the society realised that there was a need for visually impaired people to undergo formal education.

The school’s principal, Ms Constance Mabaso, accepted the cheque and said that they heartily appreciated the gift. “What we appreciate most is the fact that you are not giving us the shoes and a cheque out of sympathy,” she said. “We need nobody’s sympathy. We only need your understanding. These shoes will walk us towards our goal of becoming independent and not towards becoming beggars with tins on the streets.”

Rivoni School for the Blind has a healthy track record of academic excellence in all grades. “We have been producing 83%, 87% and we produced 90% pass rate last year,” she said. “This shows clearly that our disability has never been a barrier and it will never become a barrier for us. We are not incapable; we are full of capabilities.”

Mabaso believes that if people could continue to support the school, they can achieve more. “The only difference from other public schools is that we use assistive devices and we modify or adapt our learning methods, so that they suit learners, without compromising any learning standards,” she said.