Sakhisizwe -Building the Nation - Bou Die Nasie

Vanguard Community Health Centre has recently launched its Adolescent and Youth Friendly Services (AYFS) for the young residents of Bonteheuwel and Langa.  Today we are focusing on how these services can benefit your family, especially young people. Adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood (ages 10 to 19) where young people may face challenges that can affect their development, such as peer pressure, teenage pregnancy, mental illness, or substance abuse. During this time, young people may require dedicated healthcare support to protect their healthcare status and their future health. Vanguard Community Health Centre Operational Manager, Dr. Levona Johnson, AYFS champion, Sr Vathiswa Maqajana, and health promoter Vuyo Botile joined us in studio to share more about the youth-friendly services and what this means to the young people of Bonteheuwel and Langa. We made sure to discuss what adolescent and youth-friendly services mean and how they work, why it's imp

Chemistry, as many of us know, is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter dealing with the composition and structure of substances. Chemistry is a difficult field of study but Professor Fanelwa Ngece-Ajayi is an advocate. Fanelway is an associate professor of physical chemistry at the chemistry department. She is also the deputy dean for Research at the Science Faculty at the University of the Western Cape. She is passionate about community upliftment and inspires young people to study science. She believes that it is an aspiring goal that will help grow people’s careers and remain competent. In our interview with Professor Ngece-Ajayi we wanted to make sure to ask about all the work that she does at UWC, her belief around why students should study chemistry and the natural sciences, as well as what research she does to keep her passion for community relevant.  She took the time to tell us about the government's attempts to provide equipment but that there is

Sextortion is an issue that needs to be discussed about more and more out in the open as opposed to in the shadows and as a vague or non-prevalent idea. Sextortion or sexual extortion involves pursuading a person to send explicit photos online and then threatening to make the images public unless the victim pays money or engages in other sexual favors.  We got the chance to talk to Carla de Beer a social media law expert from Digital Law Company. She works to educate individuals about social media and the laws surrounding them. The Digital Law Company provides advice, guidance, and education in the field of digital media. Founded in 2013, it specializes in educating and advising corporates, employees, schools, parents, teachers, and universities on the legal, disciplinary, and reputational risks of social media. We took the time to discuss with Carla what sextortion is, what type is on social media, what are common tactics that there are, how can we identify perpetrators, what proactiv

There are many youth that are awaiting trial and are placed in less than appropriate and safe environments. They are often forgotten about and not given the proper services that they need.  This is a demographic that is not always focused. According to IOL, between 2019 and 2020 there were 2,058 sentences juveniles and 3,724 remand juveniles. Horizon Child Youth Centre strives to help this community.  Horizon Child Youth Centre is one of 7 secure care centres for trial-awaiting children and for youth in conflict with the law and those that pose behavioral challenges. They are meant to provide an appropriate space for these youth. Recently using a R138 million refurbishment project they’ve been able to provide refurbished living units, additional classrooms, a visitation hall, a multi-purpose hall, storage rooms and much more. They are trying to help residents of secure care centres go from vulnerability to resilience. These centres are owned by the Western Cape Department of Social Dev

In South Africa, and many places around the world there are high gender-based and domestic violence issues that need to be addressed. This issue strives from many underlying factors that relate to each other from socioeconomic to parental guidance in the home. Psychosocial support services are not always enough sometimes more services are necessary. Many organizations started with grassroots methods such as MOSAIC Training Services and Healing Centre for Women. MOSAIC is an organization that is committed to providing quality, holistic, and integrated support services to survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence. They do this while activating resources, communities, and systems to stop domestic violence and advance gender equality and safety within your communities, your home, and your relationships. They envision a more gender-equal society where women and children are safe from abuse and violence. Their work can be categorized into response services and prevention education.

                                                    One of the important rights that there are to discuss in South Africa is school infrastructure and regulations that need to be upheld. There are steps backwards that regard development in basic infrastructure such as water, electricity, classrooms toilets, and fencing. On the 28th of May, a day before the elections, the Department of Basic Education published revised School Infrastructure Regulations that removed many deadlines and shifted to having Provincial Education Departments submit detailed plans on the implementation of their programs 90 days after beginning the financial year. This represents a clear diluting of responsibility amongst the department.                                                         Civil society calls on new Minister of Basic Education to fix the School Infrastructure Regulations to ensure children’s safety in schools. Organizations have joined together to put together a joint statement such as Equal E

Going through any kind of disorder or disease can be taxing and traumatic to anybody who has gone through such. It is not easy going through medical conditions especially when it comes unexpectedly. The way in which people react to you and the support that you receive is important and it’s important to talk about the psychological impact of such. What mental strain does that have on someone? How does it affect one’s career and the way that they are perceived? These themes are explored in Kim Ballantine’s memoir regarding Spasmodic Dysphonia. Spasmodic Dysphonia is a disorder in which the muscles that generate a person’s voice go into periods of spasms. Hence, there are breaks or interruptions in the voice every few sentences. This disorder is explained in Kim Ballantine’s memoir. “Hot Tea and Apricots: A Memoir of Loss and Hope” by Kim Ballantine tells the story of a woman at the age of 40 who loses the ability to speak rather suddenly. It causes traumatic experiences as she struggles

Children are often left vulnerable and can be very susceptible to injury in their everyday lives. It often is the duty of others to protect a child and ensure that they are living safely. Every child has a right to grow and flourish in a safe environment without getting hurt. That is what ChildSafe strives for.  In our interview, we spoke to Sindisiwe Zungu and Ntombi from ChildSafe. ChildSafe is a campaign of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Southern Africa (CAPFSA) and Safe Kids Worldwide. They are dedicated to promoting optimal health and development of children in South Africa. They want to prevent both intentional and unintentional injuries through the use of research, education, environmental changes, and legislative recommendations. They work in partnership with government, industry, non-governmental, and community-based organizations. They are based at the Red Cross War Memorial often sending referrals there.  In our interview we asked for an overview of what ChildSa

The weather has not been kind to us and of late there has been a lot of rain leaving some communities vulnerable. This rain often causes flooding and other conditions that leave houses and neighborhoods weakened. We know that severe storms produce a lot of rain that can damage property. They mainly occur during these winter months and can get up to 100 kph per hour or higher cause roofs or trees to be misplaced. It's imiportant to know your flood zone risk and to know what you need to do to keep safe.  We got the opportunity to speak to Sonica Lategan with the City of Cape Town's Disaster Risk Management. The DRMC facilitates coordination, integration and efficiency of multiple emergency services and other services that ensure how well necessary organisations work together. She spoke to us in order to share insights on how communities can assess their vulnerabilities. The Disaster Risk Management tries to implement effective preparedness strategies, share response systems durin

South Africa is facing high amounts of child and teenage pregnancies where over 105,000 girls between 10 and 19 have given birth between April 2022 and March 2023, within a year. The number over the years continues to rise. This can often lead to young girls dropping out of school and being affected by factors such as gender inequality and insufficient access to comprehensive sexual education. Amnesty International wants the government to take action. They have begun a #ScanTheScar campaign that brings these stories to life. They have partnered with Joe Public, with the support of Children of Success and Women and Men Against Child Abuse, to present a Spotify playlist featuring poems from people sharing their experiences with child and teenage pregnancy. They want to bring awareness and work towards every girl/child having a chance at a brighter future. We will be speaking to Cassandra Dorasamy, spokesperson from Amnesty International South Africa.  We asked them about what is the seve

Heart Disease is a prevalent issue in South Africa. 80% of heart diseases and strokes can be prevented. 225 South Africans are killed by heart diseases every day. 13% of deaths caused globally are from high blood pressure. 10 people suffer a stroke in South Africa every hour. It's important for people to learn how to adopt healthy lifestyles and seek appropriate care early in the manifestation of the disease. Looking at these statistics, organizations such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa are relevant to our communities. They want to promote keeping your staff healthy and benefiting your business. This wellness programme can benefit by keeping a proactive workforce, lowering the risk of disability, lowering the risk of occupational conditions, and leading to more holistic employers. They are having an Employee Wellness Week where they are trying to show their care for their employees and remind them that they are being taken care of. Today we will be speaking with Nu

When discussing human rights, a group that often gets forgotten about are farmers and farmers' children. It's important to remember that all children require support and proper educational resources no matter what kind of environment that they're in. Agricultural communities require more effort for them to access the same resources as everyone else. These adolescents are looking for programs that want you to succeed and provide a strong support network. They need programs that are going to help them get licenses, certifications, and technology that may be hard to get. Pebbles Project Trust has helped with all of these needs, as testimonials explained. Pebbles Project Trust, established in Stellenbosch, is a fund to provide children from farming communities with access to quality education programmes, health, nutrition as well as social work services. They partner with local forms to establish early childhood development. They offer school clubs for these children whether th

Child abuse is prevalent especially in certain townships such as Khayelitsha. Khayelitsha is a township that is fastly-growing and has undergone great migration. Statistically, approximately 1 in 3 children living in Khayelitsha (boys and girls) undergo sexual abuse by the age of 18. Factors such as over-burdened police forces and under-resource state welfare systems affects delays in the response to child abuse and domestic violence cases. Nzuko Nonceba Family Counseling Centre is an oasis of hope in the centre of Khayelitsha. They aim to help children who have been sexually abused and provide counselings as well as support their families. Any child or mother can turn to Nonceba for help. They provide child victim support services, sexuality and abuse prevention education for children, counseling for abused women, as well as safe houses. Nozuko Conjwa, social worker supervisor, took the time to speak to us about their work.  In our interview Nozuko discussed Nonceba's services, ho

When discussing human rights, it's important for us to discuss the women's rights that go hand in hand with that. There are many shelter-related stories that promote what St Anne's is trying to do such as the fact that 60% of SA's families are fatherless leaving mothers to struggle and raise their kids. It needs to be known that more equitable costing is needed for operations of Women's Shelters. Gender-based violence shelters are severely underfunded and abused women and pregnant women struggle to find funds for their pre-natal needs. These are the issues that St. Anne's Home tries to solve. St. Anne's is an organization dedicated to providing shelter and support for pregnant, abused, and homeless women with young children. Through holistic self-empowerment programs, they help women develop social, personal, creative, and vocational skills within a framework of Christian values. They have been able to support more than 14000 women and children with generous

The influenza virus is spreading across the country and it is important to protect ourselves against it. We are in peak circulating season. As long as the flu is still circulating it isn’t too late to get the vaccine. Those who are at risk of influenza are highly encouraged to get the vaccine. Those at risk can include young children, older individuals, and people with other underlying medical conditions (i.e. heart diseases). Most people should recover from influenza within a week. You may think you know the basics of the flu and its vaccine but hear more from a nurse at Mitchells Plain Community Health Centre, Sr Valerie Kruger, to learn more. Sr Valerie Kruger was helpful in helping us understand the implications of the flu and its vaccine and why we need to keep each other safe. In our conversation we talked about how exactly does the flu vaccine effect people in high risk groups, what the most common side effects are of the vaccine and how does it effect a person, as well as how i

Diabetes is a condition that happens when the glucose same thing as sugar in the body is too high because the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or the body doesn't use the insulin that it does make. Insulin is important because it is the hormone that carries glucose from your bloodstream into the cells and, hence used for energy. Being in university and having diabetes can serve as a challenge at times because of balancing responsibilities and health needs that might not be easily accessible at a university. We have several fourth-year UCT students hear to talk to us more about diabetes. In our interview we made sure to discuss the foundations and statistics of diabetes, how do individual's lifestyles look on the daily, what are challenges specific to South Africa regarding accessing healthcare, what common signs and symptoms people should be aware of, and what advice they have as university students.  As four-year university students, they shared knowledge with us and tips i

TB and HIV are two conditions that are often misunderstood amongst the public and they are two conditions that are widespread in South Africa and many other parts of the world. TB and HIV are diseases that can affect anyone of any background, although some conditions make you more vulnerable than others, despite popular belief. Additionally, many people have misconceptions about how you catch TB, that you can catch it from a toilet seat for example, when it is in fact an airbourne disease. TB and HIV are not deadly and there are steps you can take to be treated if you suspect that you might've caught either or.  TB HIV Care is a non-profit organization that utilizes an integrated care model to respond to mainly TB and HIV. They work to prevent, find, and treat TB and HIV in South Africa. They focus on populations at risk such as sex workers, inmates, and individuals who inject drugs. They focus on meeting people where they are whether that is coming to their homes, workplaces, or p