Disabled Smithville woman launches charity for kids

Daphne Williams, a disabled woman whose story of resourcefulness and ambition drew praise and charity last summer, has launched a children’s outreach foundation geared at assisting the needy in her hometown of Smithville.

The independent-minded 51-year-old, who was born with a badly formed hand with only thumb, endeared readers and viewers in a Gleaner interview as she displayed how she carries out daily tasks such as washing, writing, and sewing, using her feet for support.

A Sunday-school teacher at the Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Smithville, Williams said that her “special love for children” inspired her to start a foundation. Many children in the community who lacking basic items are now able to get support through her charitable venture.

WATCH: Disabled woman launches charity for kids

Williams’ desire to pay forward benevolence to her fellow Clarendonians has been fuelled by the outpouring of goodwill to her own crisis. Since last July’s newspaper interview, she has received six sewing machines, among other gifts, in her bid to launch out with her fledgling business. She is now producing cushions and has big plans to expand.

“They always say this one really touched their heart. I know whatever they have contributed, it will not be in vain,” Williams said of the Gleaner story.

Community folk have been key to Williams’ outreach, helping out big and small.

“Some people in the community help me in whatever way they can. Some donate a soap, a tissue or any little thing,” Williams said.

“God has always provided, and it is out of what God has provided that I am able to share with these children, to see that they are encouraged and that they are loved,” she said.

With distance learning eclipsing face-to-face classes as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cripple the education sector, Williams lamented that many students in Smithville are left behind because they lack access to tablets or laptops. She has since arranged a team that goes into homes and teaches students who are not participating in virtual classes.

Smithville’s woes are not unique and mirror those that have complicated instruction and caused learning loss right across the country. Two hundred and fifty schools have reopened since November 2020, but at least 12 have shuttered doors in recent weeks because of new coronavirus infections.

“Many of them don’t have access to online [learning] here, so many of them are not able to log on to their lesson, so we have to just use charts, paper, and cards to demonstrate and teach them,” Williams told The Gleaner.

Carlene Miller Thompson, a teacher, is one of the members of Williams’ team. She described the good Samaritan as a go-getter, adding that the future of the foundation was bright.

“It’s a very good initiative and it will bring about motivation to young people, children and community members.

“Children are gravitating towards what she is doing, and it will go much further than just being at Smithville,” she said.