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5.9.4 ITEM40 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
This·item was included because aftercommunity reintegration ofamputees,it is the duty
of the community to accept the amputees as full members of the community through
activeparticipation in all the activities inthat community.
FIGURE5.17 INVOLVEMENrOFCOMMUNrrYINEMPLOYMENTOFTHEAMPUrEES
IDYesl
DNo
Figure 5.17 reflects that the majority of the amputees (23) 92% did not get assistance
from their communities as far as employment is concerned. Only (2) 8% reported that
they did get assistance from their community. One amputee joined a community
development group under theDepartmentofAgriculture, who wererunning a project that
was empowering the community members to develop gardens, and supported them to
make sure that their gardens flourished. They collaborated with small business
entreprenems to sell the harvest. This client was an upper limb amputee. The second
amputee had a bilateral lower limb amputation using a wheelchair. He joined a
community development group that had a sewing industry where they were sewing
uniforms and knitting jerseys for local schools. They had contracts with all the local
schools to buy new uniforms. and do mending or alterations for these schools. This
amputee hadneverwOIked beforebut this community supportedhim and taught him how
to use a band machine, andwas employed in the same company. He is the only member
using a band machine. This respondent was veryproud ofthe community group and even
though he got less money than the others, was accepted like any other member ofthe
community. Ndlovu (1998:83) supports this statement by stressing that even though there
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8%