Renovation Unlocks New Futures for Deaf Children at Carel du Toit Centre

For children born with hearing loss, the ability to listen, speak, and connect with the world can shape the course of their lives. The Carel du Toit Centre has unveiled its newly renovated facilities, strengthening its ability to support deaf and hearing-impaired children during the most critical years of development. 

The renovation was unveiled and made possible through the support of the Rotary Club of Bellville (South Africa), and the Rotary Club of Bristol Breakfast (United Kingdom), the National Lottery Commission, Janie Mouton Foundation and leading furniture retailer Lewis Group.

The upgrade strengthens the Centre’s capacity to support children at the earliest stage, when intervention has the greatest impact on their ability to communicate, learn, and thrive.

At its core, the project reflects the power of sustained collaboration, particularly the longstanding partnership between Rotary Clubs in Bellville and Bristol Breakfast, which has evolved in the last decade into a model of international cooperation in action.

Rotary’s involvement has helped improve the facilities and expand the programmes that children and families rely on every day. Together, the partnership demonstrates how shared purpose can translate into tangible, life-changing outcomes.

“Our partnership shows just what can be achieved when communities come together with a shared commitment to service and opportunity. The impact is seen not only in the facilities, but in the futures of the children who benefit from them every day,” says President, Pieter van der Walt from the Rotary Club of Bellville. 

The Sound of Early-Stage Change

Based at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, the Carel du Toit Centre, together with its CHAT Early Intervention Centre, continues to champion early diagnosis and intervention as the most decisive factor in a child’s development. Its listening-and-spoken-language approach is rooted in natural language acquisition and maximises the critical early years of brain development.

Through audiology services, speech and occupational therapy, parent coaching, and family-centred support, children with hearing loss are given the opportunity to develop spoken language skills that enable them to participate more fully in everyday life.

“Early intervention changes everything. When children are identified and supported early, their communication skills and in turn it changes the entire trajectory of their lives, and those of their families,” comments Louise Eksteen, director at the Carel du Toit Trust. 

The launch also marks the return of Sue Petersen to Rotary Club of Bristol Breakfast. 

Peterson’s personal journey has become closely intertwined with the Centre’s history and growth, after her son, Hughan, was diagnosed deaf at 14 months old and became one of the earliest children to receive cochlear implant support in South Africa in the early 1990s. 

What began as a moment of profound uncertainty for her family evolved into a lifelong commitment to advocacy and support for deaf children and Peterson’s involvement ultimately helped spark the connection between Rotary Bristol Breakfast and the Rotary Club of Bellville, forming the international partnership that continues to support the Centre today.

Reflecting on her journey, she explained that discovering the Carel du Toit Centre changed everything for her family. 

“What we have achieved through partnership and shared purpose shows how powerful it is when people come together across countries to give children the ability to listen, speak, and thrive,” Louise adds. 

While the renovation marks an important milestone, the centre emphasises that its work is ongoing, and as a specialised institution, it continues to face essential maintenance needs, including roof, plumbing, and long-term facility upkeep, costs that are often not covered through traditional funding streams.

In addition, the centre relies on philanthropic and corporate support to sustain its core services, including therapy, audiology, educator training, and family support programmes. It is now calling on businesses and donors to consider long-term partnership models that ensure sustainability beyond capital upgrades.

Initiatives such as ‘Sponsor a Child’ offer meaningful opportunities for individuals and companies to contribute directly, with potential BBBEE recognition benefits for corporate partners.

“While this renovation is an important milestone, the daily work of changing children’s lives depends on sustained support. We invite and challenge businesses and other partners to join us in building facilities, and shaping futures,” adds Nicky Jacobs, head of fundraising at Carel du Toit Trust

The Carel du Toit Centre, and CHAT Early Intervention Centre supported by the Carel du Toit Trust, remains one of South Africa’s leading institutions for listening and spoken language development. Its work ensures that children with hearing loss are given the strongest possible foundation for communication, learning, and long-term independence.

Find out more visit www.careldutoit.co.za.

ENDS 

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Nadia Hearn – GET PUBLISHED, M. 074 923 3835, nadia@get-published.co.za. 

ABOUT ROTARY CLUB OF BELLVILLE

Rotary Club of Bellville is a trusted volunteer service organisation, part of Rotary District 9350 which operates in over 80 clubs in the Western and Northern Cape of South Africa, Angola, and Namibia. We are part of a global network of 1.4 million members, who together implement sustainable, community-driven projects in our focus areas:  Education, Environment, Women and Children, Peace, Fighting Disease, Economic Development, Water and Sanitation as well as tackling other community needs. United in purpose, taking action, impacting lives.

Visit www.rotary9350.co.za to learn more.

ABOUT CAREL DU TOIT CENTRE 

The Carel du Toit Centre is a leading early intervention school in South Africa focused on teaching children with hearing loss / deaf to listen and speak. Using internationally recognised auditory-verbal therapy, the Centre equips children with the skills needed to attend mainstream schools and thrive in society.

Learners are immersed in language rich experiences that involve continuous listening opportunities, supported by appropriate hearing technology. We actively encourage parents to extend this engaging learning environment into their homes.

The Carel du Toit Centre curriculum is carefully crafted to include experience based learning outings, and themed activities that align with the focus of each week’s module. Furthermore, our classrooms are acoustically treated. We are registered with the Western Cape Education Department
and management is regulated by the School Governing Body; School Management Team.

Visit www.careldutoit.co.za to learn more.

CHAT Centre

CHAT (Children Hear and Talk) Centre is the starting point for all families referred to Carel du Toit Centre.

A Social Worker supported by an audiologist, does the initial assessment and both are available for ongoing support. The family is then allocated to an Early Interventionist (coach) if spoken language is a possible outcome and the extended family including siblings are encouraged to join weekly sessions according to the wishes of the parents.

Parent Guidance sessions are about informing and empowering parents, equipping them with skills and knowledge to give their child the opportunity to use listening to develop spoken language and social skills in everyday life – to develop to their best potential; to become naturally and fully engaged within the family, who in 90% of cases, are hearing. At CHAT we also have Deaf parents, who choose for their deaf children to learn to speak.

CHAT is the foundation for all that follows at the Carel du Toit Centre because it is all about guiding and supporting the most important members of the team, the parents.

About Carel du Toit Centre Trust

The Trust exists to secure sustainable funding for the Centre and ensure that no child is denied access to life-changing intervention due to financial barriers.

Purpose of the Trust:

• Fund Carel du Toit Centre

• Build long-term financial sustainability

Help a child hear. Help a child speak. Help a child belong.

By supporting the Carel du Toit Trust, you are directly contributing to a child’s ability to communicate, learn and succeed.

Hearing loss in early childhood can significantly impact: Speech and language development, learning ability and Social integration. Without early intervention, children face lifelong barriers. With the right support, they can fully integrate into mainstream education.

Lasting Impact
Children who once could not hear or speak are now thriving in mainstream classrooms and society at large

Partnership Challenge 

Corporate Partners 

• CSI funding partnerships

• Programme sponsorships

Individual Donors

• Monthly giving programmes

• Once-off donations

• Legacy / trust giving

Why Partner With the Carel du Toit Trust

• Measurable, life-changing impact

• Strong governance and credibility

• Direct alignment with education, healthcare, and inclusion goals