SHAWCO Health hard at work during pandemic

08 July 2020 | Story Carla Bernardo. Photos Supplied. Read time 6 min.
SHAWCO Health is one of the branches of SHAWCO, UCT’s student-run non-profit community outreach organisation.
SHAWCO Health is one of the branches of SHAWCO, UCT’s student-run non-profit community outreach organisation.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO) has stepped up to continue their work in under-resourced communities across Cape Town.

Along with the education team, SHAWCO Health has been hard at work during the nationwide lockdown, adapting and responding to the needs of their partner communities, which include Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg in Hout Bay, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Manenberg.

This work by the student-led non-profit organisation includes the distribution of pamphlets, home care packages, a fundraising initiative, work with homeless people and a flu vaccination drive.

 

“The UCT community’s response to our call for donations was extremely heart-warming.”

Shortly after news of the impending lockdown broke, the SHAWCO Health team created pamphlets in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. These pamphlets contained important information about handwashing, social distancing, COVID-19 symptoms and the contact details for relevant call centres. They were distributed to all SHAWCO partner communities and were accompanied by soap and hand sanitisers.

Addressing challenges

When lockdown came into effect, SHAWCO Health identified challenges faced by their partner communities: overcrowding in informal settlements, lack of amenities such as bathrooms, and food insecurity.

In informal settlements like Imizamo Yethu, residents live close to one another and frequently share amenities. Preventing the spread of the virus was thus a major concern for the team. The challenge of food insecurity was worsened by the loss of jobs and income, the impact of which could be seen in protest action in Mitchells Plain.

“We wanted to assist with both these issues and needed funds in order to do this,” said SHAWCO Health president, Sana Salduker.

In response, the SHAWCO health and education teams joined forces and launched the online campaign #BeKindOnline. With the help of the SHAWCO volunteer community and social media influencers from the broader UCT community, they managed to surpass their goal of raising R200 000, bringing in an additional R100 000.

SHAWCO Health hard at work during pandemic
With funds from the #BeKindOnline campaign, SHAWCO distributed home safety kits to over 500 households in Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg.

“The UCT community’s response to our call for donations was extremely heart-warming,” said Salduker.

With the funds raised, SHAWCO distributed home safety kits, including masks, sanitisers, household cleaning agents and sanitary pads to over 500 households in Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg. SHAWCO Education also used some of the funds to feed over 1 000 people on the Cape Flats by collaborating with local soup kitchens.

Community outreach

SHAWCO Health’s work during the lockdown has also seen the student volunteers provide essential health services to some of the most high-risk communities, including homeless people and the elderly.

In the early stages of the lockdown, SHAWCO Health was contacted by the City of Cape Town to provide medical care to homeless people who had been relocated to a camp in Strandfontein. While the camp has since closed, the team was happy to have played their part in assisting the City and the homeless community.

“SHAWCO Health works closely with the homeless community as we usually have a free clinic at The Haven Night Shelter every week,” explained SHAWCO Health vice-president, Robyn Kamau.

Their work in Strandfontein was featured in a recent Talloires Network newsletter. The Talloires Network, of which UCT is a member, is an international body that fosters community engagement in institutions of higher learning. They provide opportunities to student volunteers, which include conferences, funding and awards.

SHAWCO Health hard at work during pandemic
SHAWCO Health has adhered to safety precautions such as screening, social distancing and regular handwashing. All volunteers have also been working in full personal protective equipment.

“It is a fantastic network to be a part of as it connects us to other universities and students who care about community outreach all over the world,” said Kamau.

“We can learn from each other [and] be inspired by incredible student-led outreach happening on a global scale.”

Distanced but together

SHAWCO Health continues to adhere to the safety precautions outlined by authorities such as the World Health Organization. These include screening, social distancing and regular handwashing. All volunteers have also been working in full personal protective equipment.

“We often work with people who are unwell or vulnerable, and our main concern is not spreading the virus to our patients and communities,” said Salduker.

Prior to the lockdown, SHAWCO Health coordinated six clinics in various Cape Town communities. These clinics included services such as paediatric screening, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown, the in-person nature of the work and the risks involved, the clinics have been temporarily closed. Once it is safe to do so, the team will return to providing free primary healthcare in their partner communities.

Despite this, the SHAWCO Health team continue to use their skills for good and are currently collaborating with low-cost housing provider Communicare to provide flu vaccinations to elderly people. They are also continuing their health promotion work and will provide up-to-date evidence-based information on the virus and debunking common misconceptions about COVID-19.

While the pandemic and the lockdown have brought about very real challenges, the SHAWCO Health team are grateful for the many messages and photos they receive from community health workers, thanking the students for their work and commitment to communities.

“Although we were social distancing, these activities and the fight against COVID-19 has brought the large SHAWCO community together,” said Salduker.


Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Please view the republishing articles page for more information.


Coronavirus Disease 2019 updates

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March.

UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated regularly with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Frequently asked questions

 

Daily updates


Friday, 5 February 14:20, 5 February 2021
Monday, 4 January 16:50, 4 January 2021
Friday, 18 December 11:30, 18 December 2020
Thursday, 19 November 09:30, 19 November 2020
Friday, 13 November 12:40, 13 November 2020
Friday, 16 October 10:05, 16 October 2020
Wednesday, 14 October 12:50, 14 October 2020
Tuesday, 22 September 14:10, 22 September 2020
Friday, 11 September 10:05, 11 September 2020
Monday, 31 August 12:20, 31 August 2020
Wednesday, 12 August 10:20, 12 August 2020
Friday, 7 August 11:24, 7 August 2020
Thursday, 6 August 18:26, 6 August 2020
Monday, 27 July 14:00, 27 July 2020
Wednesday, 15 July 09:30, 15 July 2020
Monday, 13 July 14:25, 13 July 2020
Monday, 6 July 16:20, 6 July 2020
Thursday, 25 June 10:15, 25 June 2020
Tuesday, 23 June 12:30, 23 June 2020
Thursday, 18 June 17:35, 18 June 2020
Wednesday, 17 June 10:45, 17 June 2020
Tuesday, 2 June 12:20, 2 June 2020
Friday, 29 May 09:25, 29 May 2020
Monday, 25 May 14:00, 25 May 2020
Thursday, 21 May 12:00, 21 May 2020
Wednesday, 6 May 10:00, 6 May 2020
Tuesday, 5 May 17:05, 5 May 2020
Thursday, 30 April 17:10, 30 April 2020
Tuesday, 28 April 10:30, 28 April 2020
Friday, 24 April 09:35, 24 April 2020
Thursday, 23 April 17:00, 23 April 2020
Wednesday, 22 April 14:25, 22 April 2020
Monday, 20 April 17:45, 20 April 2020
Friday, 17 April 12:30, 17 April 2020
Thursday, 16 April 09:45, 16 April 2020
Tuesday, 14 April 11:30, 14 April 2020
Thursday, 9 April 09:00, 9 April 2020
Wednesday, 8 April 15:40, 8 April 2020
Wednesday, 1 April 15:50, 1 April 2020
Friday, 27 March 11:40, 27 March 2020
Thursday, 26 March 18:30, 26 March 2020
Tuesday, 24 March 15:40, 24 March 2020
Monday, 23 March 15:40, 23 March 2020
Friday, 20 March 16:00, 20 March 2020
Thursday, 19 March 09:15, 19 March 2020
Wednesday, 18 March 16:00, 18 March 2020
Tuesday, 17 March 12:50, 17 March 2020
Monday, 16 March 17:15, 16 March 2020

Campus communications

 
2020

New SRC and other updates 16:44, 4 November 2020
Virtual graduation ceremonies 13:30, 21 October 2020
Online staff assembly and other updates 15:09, 30 September 2020
Fee adjustments and other updates 15:21, 16 September 2020
Call for proposals: TLC2020 10:15, 26 August 2020
SAULM survey and other updates 15:30, 5 August 2020
COVID-19 cases and other updates 15:26, 5 August 2020
New UCT Council and other updates 15:12, 15 July 2020
Upcoming UCT virtual events 09:30, 15 July 2020
Pre-paid data for UCT students 14:25, 22 April 2020
Update for postgraduate students 12:55, 20 April 2020
UCT Human Resources and COVID-19 16:05, 19 March 2020
UCT confirms second COVID-19 case 09:15, 19 March 2020
Update on UCT COVID-19 response 13:50, 11 March 2020
Update on COVID-19 17:37, 6 March 2020

Resources

Video messages from the Department of Medicine

Getting credible, evidence-based, accessible information and recommendations relating to COVID-19

The Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, are producing educational video material for use on digital platforms and in multiple languages. The information contained in these videos is authenticated and endorsed by the team of experts based in the Department of Medicine. Many of the recommendations are based on current best evidence and are aligned to provincial, national and international guidelines. For more information on UCT’s Department of Medicine, please visit the website.


To watch more videos like these, visit the Department of Medicine’s YouTube channel.

Useful information from UCT

External resources


News and opinions


Statements and media releases


Media releases



Read more  

Statements from Government



 
 

In an email to the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said:
“COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is a rapidly changing epidemic. [...] Information [...] will be updated as and when new information becomes available.”

 

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

TOP