The Kwa-Thema stimulation centre was founded in 1999 by the late Mrs Mirriam Ndebele. (3/03/1943 – 9/02/2020)

The centre was founded 26 years ago, after Mam Mirriam identified the challenges of raising a child with disabilities in the townships. After realizing the enormous challenges that came with that reality, soon after she retired from her government job, she invested her pension pay-out in establishing a daycare center for children living with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.  She was committed to providing a safe space that children living with disabilities can call home and be well looked after. 

With the misinformation and misconceptions about intellectual disability in many communities, families would hide their children from the community. Mam Mirriam’s strategy was to go door-to-door looking for children with severe disabilities to ensure they were all enrolled at the centre to access healthcare, education, and stimulation services – resources made known and available.

Through founding Kwa-Thema Stimulation Center she provided a platform where parents and guardians of children living with disabilities could seek employment opportunities while their child is being cared for. It also provided an opportunity for parents, guardians and the community to educate themselves on disability health, education, and stimulation.

Mam Mirriam had experienced similar challenges which included lack of daycare facilities and resources for her child living with a disability. She wanted to give parents the relief of knowing their children are well taken care of in a well-resourced, stimulating and quality disability day care centre. 

This resulted in her opening the Kwa-Thema stimulation centre in 1999, starting with only 5 children. Over the years the centre has grown to almost 80 children. Although the center is at its capacity, there is a high demand from parents and guardians to accommodate more children living with disabilities. 

Kwa-Thema Stimulation Centre conducts its operation from KwaThema Township in the East Rand, South Africa. The current location of the facilities and programs are central to the community we serve and promotes the accessibility of the service to children with disabilities residing within 3 surrounding townships mainly Kwa- Thema, Tsakani and Duduza in the Ekurhuleni municipality.

Expansion of Kwa-Thema Stimulation Center into Ubuntu Inclusive Center

Since 2021, Kwa-Thema Stimulation Center has expanded from a nonprofit daycare stimulation center to a holistic social enterprise with three (3) main components; education, health, and training. To accommodate the expansion, Kwa-Thema Stimulation Center rebranded to Ubuntu Inclusive Center. Three (3) additional branches were formed, namely, Ubuntu Impact Institute; the training and professional development company, Ubuntu Impact Health; the healthcare services company, and Ubuntu Inclusive Foundation; the United States based nonprofit. 

With the guidance and leadership of the current executive team and Board, Ubuntu Inclusive Center has successfully partnered with local and international stakeholders to expand services to digital training, virtual reality as experiential learning, and many more. Ubuntu Impact Institute has conducted professional development programs for Early Childhood Development (ECD) Practitioners, Unemployed Youth. Ubuntu Impact Health opened its first low-cost paediatric clinic for children living with disabilities in 2024.

The Centre is a registered NPO (032-340 NPO) and PBO (Section 18A – No:930025384) for Tax purposes.