Better Community
Intellectual Disability
For more than 60 years, St John of God has supported children and adults with intellectual disabilities and the families who love them – providing day services, residential care, education and employment support that helps people build skills, find connection and live lives that are genuinely their own. When people are supported to live life on their own terms, extraordinary things can happen. Ruth’s story from Seatown reflects the independence, inclusion and sense of belonging that our services strive to make possible every day.
Respite
Caring for someone you love is one of the most meaningful things a person can do. It is also a full-time job. Respite care gives families the rest they need, not as a luxury, but as a necessity that makes long-term caring possible. For the person in our care, respite is something else entirely: a change of scene, new activities, new friends, and a chance to be themselves in a different environment. Your support funds the equipment, activities and environments that make respite genuinely restorative for everyone.
Social inclusion
For many people with intellectual disabilities, genuine participation in the life of their community, joining a club, attending a local event, making a friend on their own terms, remains out of reach without the right support. St John of God funds the bridges: the support workers, the accessible activities, the community partnerships that open doors that would otherwise stay closed. In Mzuzu, that same principle shapes our elderly programme, where weekly gatherings and shared activities give older people, many of whom are raising grandchildren alone – a stake in the life around them. Your donation helps someone belong.
When people are given the opportunity to belong, they flourish. That spirit is reflected in our Social Farming project, where people connect with nature, develop new skills, build friendships and grow in confidence, demonstrating the transformative power of inclusion in action.
Transport & mobility
A doctor’s appointment. A day service. A friend’s birthday. For many people we support, getting to these things is not straightforward, and without the right transport, they simply don’t happen. Your support funds the accessible vehicles, the staff, and the logistics that make sure no one is left behind because getting there was too difficult. Transport is not a small thing. It is the difference between connection and isolation, between independence and dependence.