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Ukuthasa further
expanded its work in the area of healthcare by sponsoring its
first rural health initiative. People in rural communities often don't
have access to basic healthcare and medical attention. Many can't afford to see
healthcare professionals and the day hospitals are a long journey from home
which involves an early morning start and having to queue for hours to see a
doctor.
In October 2010, more than 600 local residents had access to desperately
needed healthcare and medical attention – for some, it was the first
medical help they had received in years. The event took place in a
community called
BhekuLwandle
(meaning
‘ocean view’),
just
outside Amanzimtoti on the south coast of Kwazulu Natal (KZN), South
Africa.
Ukuthasa
partnered with two local charities,
Seed of Hope and
Crossroads,
sponsoring the venue, medical drugs and food. The event gave people
access to healthcare through consultations with nurses and doctors,
sight tests and the provision of spectacles for those who needed
them, as well as HIV testing and counselling and the dispensing of
drugs. There was no charge at all for the people who came to the clinic
(healthcare normally costs money in South Africa).
The doctors,
nurses, opticians, trained counsellors, project workers and volunteers
gave their time to cover the whole weekend – the clinic opened at 7:30am
on both the Saturday and Sunday and finished after 6pm. Over the course
of the two days, hundreds of walk-in patients were treated, many of whom
hadn’t seen a doctor for years because they couldn’t afford it.
£3000
sponsors a venue, food and prescription drugs for a weekend clinic. If
you would like to get involved,
contact us
today.
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One elderly woman
was overwhelmed to be leaving the event with a bag full of five
prescription drugs. She grabbed hold of Ukuthasa project worker Nicky
Welsh and said, with a huge smile,
"Thank you, thank
you, thank you! I can see clearly for the first time in years and I understand
why I have a pain in my leg. You have made me so happy!" | |
