The Midlands Student Services and Development Department recently held two training workshops for general staff at the Midlands Centre, focusing on topics such as HIV/AIDS, circumcision and education on the Ebola virus which has hit several African countries, claiming thousands of lives as a result.

The workshops were held at the Indumiso and Riverside campuses.

The general staff, including gardeners, cleaners, Maintenance staff and those working in Protection Services, were provided with relevant and appropriate information, training, counselling, assessment and consultative services which aimed to enhance their well-being and development. The facilitators at the workshops were Dr Thabo Molutsoane who works with Medical Male Circumcision (MMC); Thembi Chaka, Senior Psychologist at the Midlands Student Services and Development Department and Bawinile Mngoma, Health Promoter from UKZN.

The training covered aspects on Gender Based Violence (GBV), HIV/AIDS and how culture perpetuates the spread of HIV/AIDS. Dr Molutsoane addressed the staff on the importance of circumcision and the benefits thereof for both males and females. He said being circumcised reduced the risk of HIV infection and lowered the risk of contracting STIs. He also added that MMC is also good for a women’s health as it reduced the risk to cervical cancer by removing the human papilloma virus that is often carried in the foreskin. Dr Molutsoane also spoke about HIV/AIDS and Ebola.

Fathima Haffajee, organiser of the workshops and Director of Student Services and Development at the Midlands Centre, said general staff are often forgotten or left out in the programmes that either include DUT staff or DUT students. “It is for these reasons that Student Services had decided to extend their services to this group. What is also of highlight for these trainings are that they are run in a language that general staff can easily understand and feel comfortable to participate without putting so much pressure on them to speak a language that is foreign to them,” she said.

Haffajee also added that the staff was quite interactive and the workshops were received by all staff that attended. “We have received positive feedback on the workshops and the general staff have requested that we have more next year,” she said.

– Waheeda Peters

Pictured: PMB general staff listen attentively to the topics discussed at the workshops.