Oa Kgona Protective Workshop

General information

Oa Kgona, meaning “You’re Able” is a disability centre situated in Soshanguve that was initiated in 2013 by Mrs Alice Lekalakala. The motto that Oa Kgona Protective Workshop lives by is “touching hearts brings change”.
We are a unique non-profit organization that facilitates employment and opportunities for persons with a variety of disabilities. Oa Kgona Protective Workshop strives to enhance beneficiaries’ purpose and confidence by creating a disability-friendly environment that is conducive to meaningful and productive participation as well as active involvement and integration into society. The organisation was founded in 2013 by a pensioner named Alice Lekalakala, who manages the project from her garage.

Mama Alice’s story begins in 2006 while she was working as a general assistant taking care of differently abled people until she retired in 2013 to take care of her family and her differently abled son. Raising a child who is differently abled is a challenge for Mama Alice and her husband. She founded the Oa Kgona Protective Workshop in an effort to relieve the same stress on other families struggling to cope with differently abled family members.

The Oa Kgona Protective Workshop provides a safe haven for 19 differently abled beneficiaries. Beneficiaries range from 19 to 42 years old. The Oa Kgona Protective Workshop empowers them with creative skills which they use to make various crafts (handbags, cushions, beadwork, pillows, aprons etc) which are sold to the public. This enables beneficiaries to function independently and contribute to society by living a fulfilling life despite their disability. Profits from sales of items are used to buy groceries and more materials for craft work.