#minervafellows9

[daroy26-blog]

Last week I helped organize and I took part in A FRESH Start Community Wellness Day. A community wellness day entails bringing services into the community so people are able to access basic healthcare needs without having to travel to a clinic. This lowers costs due to transport, time away from work, and the services we offer are free. The services offered were: HIV testing and counselling, pregnancy testing, immunizations, family planning (contraceptives), blood pressure and blood glucose testing. Along with the DREAMS team and the mobile clinic from Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre, we set up stations in the tents and truck shown in the pictures above. 

The outreach event was stationed in a suburb of Johannesburg called Kya Sands. This is an informal settlement area also known as a shanty town. For the most part, people in these townships find a place to build a house/shack and make due with whatever they can. There are 189 registered informal settlements in the City of Johannesburg. A survey performed in 2014 showed that only 25% of people in Kya Sands were employed. For obvious reasons, this is a huge barrier impeding residents from receiving proper healthcare and living a healthy lifestyle. We stationed the outreach at a soccer field about 50 meters into the township. The pictures shown all illustrate this field, and as you can see it isn’t much of a field compared to many of our standards. The one picture shows children playing soccer in the distance, most of whom are playing barefoot. 

The day was a great success, in my opinion. As soon as we set up the tents and the tables, patients lined up and the line did not stop until it was time to leave. In fact, we had to turn away some patients and return the day after to ensure we gave everyone a chance to be tested. Men, women, and children of all ages came by to use the services provided. 

Although it has been very rewarding for me helping these people, it has also been difficult morally. For example, I was testing a woman’s blood pressure, and it came out to be quite high. I asked her if she was feeling okay since her blood pressure was so high. She said she is very stressed these days because she has children at home and both she and her husband cannot find employment. The issues I’ve seen stem far deeper than simple healthcare needs. Although I am able to provide basic healthcare needs to these people, I am unable to help them find jobs or fund their education. I can easily say “you should drink more water, and eat healthier food, but I know they have no way of doing so. Everyday for these people is a struggle we are fortunate enough to say we will never have to experience. 

There are so many people with these kinds of issues, that a person like me finds it very overwhelming because I would love to help them all, and it hurts me to see them living like this. Realistically, there is only so much I can do. My hope is that I can help them as much as possible, and others can do the same in their own capabilities. A FRESH Start is giving many families and individuals the chance to live healthy lives, and others need to follow suit. The issues are large and multifaceted and we need to come together to fight them. The patients we see are very thankful for A FRESH Start, and I am very proud to be apart of this program. 

Days such as these have allowed me to see the world from a different perspective, and have shown me that nothing should ever be taken for granted. 

[daroy26-blog]

When looking at these two pictures, it is hard to believe they can coexist in the same area, but in fact they are less than a five minute drive from each other. When people ask me, “what is the biggest difference between Canada/America and Johannesburg?”, these sort of pictures are what come to mind.  

The first picture shown is an aerial view of Steyn City, a 900 hectare man made ‘city’ only a 2 minute drive from Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre.  It was built by Douw Steyn, a South African businessman worth somewhere around R8 billion.  That building shown is his R150 million house built in the middle of the city which also includes about 33 cars in his garage. The city also includes a shopping mall, a world-class golf course, as well as other commodities only available to those that live within the complex. Just to commence the building of the city, R6 billion was dispensed. 

When you drive down the road that Witkoppen is on, you will pass Steyn City, and you will see its 20-30 foot walls surrounding it. The separation it creates is quite clear since you literally cannot see the other side of the wall. If you continue 5 minutes down the same road, you will get to Diepsloot, the 12,000 hectare township shown in the second picture. I must add, this only illustrates a section of Diepsloot, and not all of the residents reside in shacks such as those shown. Nevertheless, many of the patients and staff at Witkoppen reside in Diepsloot, and must pass by Steyn City everyday they make their way to the clinic. 

I am not posting this to judge right or wrong, because I am not entitled to that sort of opinion and I do not know enough about the facts to state an opinion. I am simply trying to illustrate some contrast in what is seen here everyday. All I know for a fact is that where I am from, this contrast and disparity cannot be observed.

[daroy26-blog]

As some of you may know, August is women’s month, and from August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week. I assisted A FRESH Start Health Councillor Dikeledi (seen on left) in leading Exclusive Breastfeeding presentations to future mothers of the Antenatal Clinic at Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre.  Just to clarify a couple of terms, antenatal means before birth (during pregnancy) and Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) is the notion that only breast milk will be given to the baby from birth until 6 months. If the mothers have the choice, it is very beneficial for them to breastfeed as supposed to using formula through a bottle. It drastically decreases the baby’s risk of disease, increases the baby’s overall health, and decreases their financial burden since, well, breast milk is free! When I say “given the choice”, there is a common misconception that HIV+ mothers cannot breastfeed. In fact, as long as their viral loads are suppressed through good health and antiretroviral drugs (ARV), they are free and safe to breastfeed without transmitting the virus. The issue is, however, the women either don’t understand this, don’t know their viral loads as they give birth, or are being told by someone else (partner, parents, community members) that it isn’t safe to breastfeed. Therefore it is crucial that we transmit the information to them to help them understand as well as have them visit clinicians so they can be aware of their viral loads before they give birth. This is essential since once they begin formula feeding, they can no longer return to breastfeeding. If they start the bottle feeding before their first postnatal visit to the program, it is already too late! So far it has been a great experience working with the unbelievable staff of A FRESH Start and the perseverant patients that we see. As you can see by the picture, despite their hardships, they always find a way to smile.