Mentally disabled women endure intense abuse in many isolated parts of South Africa. Facilities to care for people with conditions such as Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy are scarce. But some mentally disabled women have found shelter and care at a home in the Hobeni district in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. It’s the only facility for hundreds of miles that offers any help to people with mental problems.
Mentally Disabled Women Endure Abuse in South Africa
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Lungiswa eats in the background, watched by her daughter, Lulama (VOA/ D. Taylor)
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Lungiswa warms at a fire at the home, with a fellow resident. (VOA/ D. Taylor)
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Lungiswa and her daughter, Lulama, share a meal at Ikhaya Loxolo (VOA/ D. Taylor)
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Lumka Zenani is paralyzed and has cerebral palsy, but is always joyful and exuberant. (VOA/ D. Taylor)