In supporting the University’s strategic outlook on community engagement, the DUT Health Sciences Faculty recently launched a community engagement programme in Mkhizwana, near Cato Ridge, which sees the provision of health services to the community.
The departments of Child and Youth Care, Chiropractic, Homeopathy, Somatology and Nursing are involved in the Faculty’s Mkhizwana Community Engagement Programme. The departments provide weekly mobile clinic services with postgraduate students from various disciplines. In addition, the community will also enjoy the Medical Research Council funded Maternal Health Project.
Mkhizwana is a small community with approximately 30 000 residents. Most households in the area survive with just under R20 000 (per household) annually. Furthermore, nearly 20 000 residents are not economically active adding further pressure to this financially constrained community. “Consequently, most residents rely on a local fixed clinic as well as mobile clinics that visit the area. Therefore, Mkhizwana represented the ideal niche to begin a community engagement programme for provision of basic healthcare services,” said Khulekani Shange from the Faculty. The outreach programme was launched with support from the area’s local ward committee, ward councillor and eThekwini Municipality’s Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department.
“Recently, the Somatology, Environmental Health and Child and Youth Care departments met with staff at two primary schools in the area (Noqomfela Combined Primary School and Ingomezulu Primary School) and one high school (Nogunjwa High School) where issues such as teenage pregnancy, lack of proper career counselling, absence of a school library and other socio-economic issues that affect pupils psychologically were highlighted. Primary school teachers identified lack of proper nutrition and the disruption of water services as major obstacles towards pupils’ progress. Additionally, teachers also mentioned the issue of child headed households that prevented teachers from being effective in their respective functions,” said Shange.
Staff from the Faculty have since initiated several mini-projects aimed towards assisting staff and pupils in the schools contacted. These include the collection of books to begin a library for the high school and supplement existing libraries in the primary schools, an open day event to assist high school pupils with career counselling information, reading groups to assist pupils with reading skills, teachers support workshops which will assist teachers with the counselling of pupils as well as a fundraiser project to purchase water tanks.
The Faculty is urging for donations for the following new or used items such as:
– English books from grade R to adulthood.
– Old sports equipment such as balls, shoes, bats, etc.
– Old clothing and school shoes.
– Stationery such as paper, crayons, khoki pens, etc.
– Board games/activities.
– Colouring books.
– Posters for classrooms walls/teaching aids.
– Dictionaries (English and Zulu)
Collection boxes will be available at the Somatology and Community Health Studies departments. For more information please contact: Mrs D Borg on 031 373 2390/ dorindab@dut.ac.za or Mrs S Ghuman on 031 373 2807/ shanazg@dut.ac.za or Deseree on 031 373 2947/ desereer@dut.ac.za.
– Khulekani Shange
Pictured: DUT Health Sciences Faculty staff and students providing health services to Mkhizwana community members.
