The history of the Vona and Marié du Toit Foundation
The Vona & Marie du Toit Foundation was legally established in 1973 on the initiative of the du Toit family and a group of Occupational Therapists in Pretoria, South Africa, to honour Marie, a recent graduate from the Pretoria College of Occupational Therapy who had died the previous year. When, in 1974 her mother Vona, principal of the Pretoria College, passed on, the Foundation was changed to the Vona and Marie du Toit Foundation to reflect the exceptional contribution Vona made to the profession.
The Vona & Marie du Toit Foundation was reconstituted in 2012 to provide inter alia for the “..development and institution of structures, policy, procedures and actions as deemed necessary for the guardianship, development, promotion, research and appropriate application of the teachings of Vona du Toit and those who follow in her footsteps, especially as this relates to the Vona du Toit Model of Creative Ability (VdTMoCA) ” (paragraph 3(d) Constitution)
The clinical practice model VdTMoCA has over time been widely used in South Africa with the tenets and terminology entering the psyche and lexicon of Occupational Therapists. While associations with professional bodies and international groups have been established and strengthened, the Foundation remains proudly South African. V&MdTF has formalized links with OTASA to ensure the ongoing positioning of the VdTMOCA within the domain of occupational therapy as a model originating in South Africa.