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Mocwa Hosts The Soweto Walk For Autism

Mothers friends and the local community came together to highlight the need for awareness when the organisation hosted a 5km walk around Rockville in Soweto in April 2022.

Supported by the then City Of Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse, the walk attracted a large number of participants made largely of mothers and their autistic children.

According to founder Nomsa Masoka the walk was not only an initiative to highlight awareness but also an exercise for all participants to bond together in another engaging way.

“Honestly speaking we did not anticipate such a great turn out. It was so encouraging to see parents connecting with their children in a different environment where everyone could engage through a walk, said Masoka.

Mocwa Family Day

A family styled picnic environment set the tone up for a relaxed ambient family day held at the organisation’s Daisy Autism Village in Walkerville in the south of Johannesburg in April 2023.

Intended to create a relaxing environment that allows parents and children to take time out and connect with people who share the same experiences, the day was marked by jumping castles, trumpolins and toys for young ones to enjoy.

Why Join Mocwa Be Part Of The Journey

By Joining Mocwa you are opening up all possibilities of being one of the 430 plus women who have come together to share the journey of raising children with autism.

Moreover, you will be able to recieve support through workshops, training programs as well as contributing in fund raising initiatives such as our annual “High Tea” and “Family Day” events.

Our Mission & Vision

Our mission is to empower mothers of children with ASD through networking, information sharing and support. Moreover, our vision is to

To ensure that the families of children with ASD are better equipped to cope with their condition within their respective environment and that the quality of life on a mental, physical and emotional level is improved for ASD families.

Mocwa’s Core Programme Offering Focuses On Four Elements Namely:

Autism Awareness
Autism Advocacy
Networking
Creating solutions for ourselves

Our Values

SUPPORT GROUPS

EMPOWERMENT

EDUCATION

About Mocwa

Our Story

Initially started as a support group, MOCWA (Mothers of Children with Autism) was founded by Nomsa Masoka as a result of her own experience of not having adequate support and counselling when her son was diagnosed with autism in 2007.

Currently home to over 300 mothers, Mocwa comprises a dedicated and committed Executive Committee(made of mothers) who work diligently behind the scenes in planning and ensuring the successful execution of all annual activities, managing the WhatsApp support group, administration, fund-raising, etc.

While our members are mostly made up of mothers from townships across South Africa, with at least 85% of their children attending public schools, it is safe to say that the community we serve is that of mothers /families from all walks of life in need of support and assistance in any of the areas of our programme offerings.

As empowered mothers who are still walking this journey, we live by the motto that says: “No woman should ever have to walk the Autism Lane alone”. This is our commitment to our sisters from all walks of life who find themselves lonely, struggling with accepting their children’s diagnosis, willowing in depression and wondering what the future holds for them. Autism is challenging, however there is still so much life after a diagnosis, as well as many lessons and rainbows in the clouds along the way. As a collective, we strongly believe that we will continue to improve the quality of lives for ourselves and our children.

Projects

Daisy Autism Respite Center

Mocwa has recently acquired a property in Walkerville, Johannesburg which is currently under an intense refurbishment process. Our aim is to operate autism respite centre as well as a Young Adult Day And Boarding School from this facility from January 2023.

Donation sand any kind of assistance in helping us to realize our dream will go a long way in providing a safe haven for our children where they can be taught self reliance skills gardening, cleaning after themselves, cooking and chicken farming among others.

Events

MOCWA HIGH TEA Dressing Up For A Course

Our very first High Tea took place in 2016 with only 20 mothers in attendance. To date, our High Tea Events are our signature network sessions which quickly sell out to accommodate up to 120 mothers. The success of these events are attributed to the fact that at the core of our pain and immeasurable challenges in raising our children in this often very lonely journey, we have found time to celebrate ourselves, the small steps, the big steps and mostly the support of our Mocwa Family.

Below are some of the few benefits of this empowering event that our mothers look forward to every single year:

To celebrate motherhood and enable the moms to feel special during mothers’ or women’s month
Bring together professionals and mothers, e.g., psychiatrists, human rights commissioners, etc.
Empower, educate and support mothers through information sharing and networking
To provide a platform to socialize
To recognize mothers who are doing extraordinary things as well identify those who require support.

MOCWA FAMILY DAY

Contact

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