Artist Rizah Potgieter has been hard at work creating Mitchell’s Plain’s Longest Mural—an ode to community pride and marine life awareness.

Mitchell’s Plain, South Africa (06 March 2024) — Artists, volunteers and community members have all played their part in helping make Mitchell’s Plain’s longest mural possible.

A legacy in blue, the ‘longest mural’ (also known as the Poseidon Mural) seeks to bring a sense of beauty, calmness and awareness to Mitchell’s Plain. In an big way, its breathtaking size makes the topic of climate change and its impact on our oceans hard to ignore with sea characters on vibrant display. In even bigger ways, it stands to show people the beauty that their area can call home; cultivating a sense of community pride and responsibility.

Led by mural wizard Rizah Potgieter who was also behind another iconic mural last year (“Standing Tall”, a 22-metre high mural in Khayelitsha that captured netball player Phumza Maweni), the Posideon project was a collaborative effort that saw many people unite for its creation.

 

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PAINT, an artivist organisation on a mission to transform neighbourhoods and non-profit ArtBridge teamed up to ensure that Mitchell’s Plain’s Longest Mural would become something for Cape Town to be proud of. For the team, this wasn’t singularly about marine life awareness or art’s positive impact on communities, but both in unison.

Says Mikal Ernest Bell, Founder of PAINT, “The initial objective was bringing the two communities together, this will therefore be the culmination. The artwork on either side of the wall has greatly contributed in bringing about peace in these two communities that has been ravaged by crime and gang violence.”

The more we make the hard topics accessible and the more we let art bring people together, the better chance we have for a South Africa that understands that no matter where you come from or what challenges you’ve faced, you can still make an impact on our future.

Sources: Various (Linked Above) 

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The Fast Heroes Programme is playing a huge role in spreading stroke awareness by teaching primary school children in SA all they need to know. This is not only creating a generation who can be informed heroes, but young people united for a healthier future:

South Africa (01 December 2023) — No one wants to think about someone they care about, or themselves, dealing with something as traumatic and even life-threatening as a stroke. However, prepared stances save lives, which is exactly what the Fast Heroes programme is all about.

Aiming to harness the learning potential of children and strengthen intergenerational support, the Fast Heroes programme is on a mission to instil vital knowledge about stroke recognition and emergency response techniques in the future generation of South Africa.

Developed internationally by the University of Macedonia with support from the Angels Initiative, the award-winning education initiative takes a fun and interactive approach to what is a scary topic so that primary school children can be heroes for themselves and others if neccesary.

Over a five-week period, vital lessons are shared. As each week unfolds, a different aspect of stroke awareness is focused on under the acronym FAST (Face, Arms, Speech and Time). The lessons include workbooks, characters, stories animations, songs and videos that make the learning experience easier to digest and remember.

So far, the Fast Heroes programme has seen nearly 2000 children actively participate in the second half of 2023 with the programme having been picked up by 81 schools across South Africa; spanning the Western Cape, Gauteng, the Free State and Limpopo.

Beyond the classroom, the programme has been praised by educators and healthcare professionals alike.

Dr. De Vries Basson from Karl Bremer Hospital for one, commended its momentum that’s slowly but surely creating a youthful united front against strokes and lifestyle diseases. Sharing a similar sentiment, Teacher Deidre de Lange from Dalpark Primary highlighted that the program was popular among their students because of its potential to create a generation united through awareness.

Overall, 11,677 South African children have participated in Fast Heroes, which is a hugely positive sign for a healthier future.

You can learn more about or register for the Fast Heroes Programme here.

Sources: Press Release

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Today is World Toilet Day, and no, it isn’t a celebration of fancy toilet enthusiasts. The reason for the day is actually quite significant, and University of Pretoria Lecturer and Social Worker Elmien Classens fills us in on why:

Global (19 November 2023) — Every person has the basic right to water and sanitation; however, millions of people around the world have this right infringed upon daily. More than 3.6 billion people globally do not have access to safely managed sanitation services and, for this reason, World Toilet Day was founded by philanthropist Jack Sim, and is celebrated annually on 19 November.

This day serves as a platform to increase general knowledge on what sanitation is; raise awareness on poor sanitation and lack of toilets globally, as well as to allow people who have good sanitation to recognise the importance thereof.

In the South African context, having access to water and sanitation is stipulated as an essential human right as set out in the Constitution. From the current South African population of 60.4 million people, the total number of people without adequate sanitation is estimated at between 21.8 million and 25.5 million. The millions mentioned above who do not have access to safe sanitation use either the inadequate bucket system, unimproved pit latrines or the veld.

Access to safe sanitation means having a healthy and safe way of disposing of human waste among setting other hygienic environmental conditions by disposing of general waste and making water drinkable. There is a general misconception about what sanitation is and so it is important to acknowledge that a toilet does not automatically equal safe sanitation.

In many local communities, people do not have access to one shared toilet which remains as unjust as not having access to it at all. Other communities have physical toilets but have a poor drainage system in which the waste still filters into the communities’ water sources. Some communities in South Africa continue to use portable toilets and pit latrines and, sadly, we still often read in the news about children falling into pit toilets and dying a very undignified death.

Increased Risk of Malnutrition and Other Digestive Diseases

The most well-known consequence of not having safe sanitation is the illnesses that are caused due to open exposure to faeces and contaminated water sources. Some of these illnesses range from mild to severe, including cholera, dysentery, typhoid, intestinal worm infections and polio.

As the lack of sanitation is experienced in mostly poor communities, they often do not have accessibility to established healthcare services either which can often lead to prolonged illnesses.

Beyond the health implications of poor sanitation, the impact of poor sanitation in communities contributes to many social ills. Women and girls with no access to toilets must often wait until it is dark outside to not draw attention, which places them in a more vulnerable position to being abused and sexually assaulted. This does not only affect their safety but the dignity of people is affected when they are required to live in unhealthy, unsafe conditions.

There is much to be done in order to achieve safe sanitation, and it might be asked if it has anything to do with social work or social welfare in general. We might not have everything but we do have social policy which is concerned with how societies across the world meet human needs, including security, education, work, health and well-being. As a social worker, I feel strongly that we have a role to empower individuals and communities, especially the most vulnerable, to know their rights and to continue to push for the realisation thereof. The basic right to safe sanitation is included in several social policies in South Africa and that has everything to do with humanity and social work in general.

We still have a long way to go, as sanitation is just one of the many achievements that globally need to be achieved along with addressing many other injustices. World Toilet Day is an important awareness campaign to spread the word about the lack of access to sanitation across the globe, as well as locally, and continue to ensure that no human is left behind when it comes to accessing safe toilets and sanitation.

Sources: University of Pretoria 

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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Civil society and teachers join forces to make early-grade literacy a national priority

Makhanda, South Africa (20 October 2023) — “Business as usual is not going to be good enough to change the future for our children,” said Sizwe Mabisela, Rhodes University Vice Chancellor, speaking at the launch of the Right to Read Campaign at Fikizolo Primary School in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, on Thursday.

The campaign brings together a coalition of human rights organisations to tackle South Africa’s escalating literacy crisis through legislative reform and advocacy.

While regulations are not “a silver bullet” they allow for more accountability and monitoring compared to the often vague guidelines published by the Department of Basic Education, said Cameron McConnachie, director of the Legal Resources Centre’s Makhanda office.

He said that the campaign will develop shadow regulations for reading through roundtables with people across the education sector, including government officials.

These regulations focus on creating binding requirements around the four Ts related to literacy: texts (reading materials), teaching (specialised literacy training), tests (regular assessments) and time (more time spent on reaching literacy).

Although there are guidelines for recommended reading, passed in 2008, there is still a severe shortage of appropriate reading material and resources for children.

Tabisa Booi, a teacher at George Dickerson Primary, said that while teaching Xhosa at a school outside King Williams Town, she found textbooks badly translated, taken straight from dense English stories “not at all related to students’ experiences”.

The campaign also seeks to make sure that teachers get specialised support and training to teach literacy.

Kelly Long, a researcher at NGO GADRA Education, said that although tests are important, they must not be implemented in a way that is “onerous” on teachers who are already battling to keep up.

The campaign is also calling for more time to be set aside to focus on literacy in the Foundation Phase curriculum.

The Right to Read Campaign – which was first launched in Constitutional Hill, Johannesburg on 30 August – comes in the wake of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study released in May, which revealed that 81% of grade 4 learners in the country cannot read for meaning in any language, including their home language.

The campaign includes the Legal Resources Centre, South African Human Rights Commission, Equal Education, Centre for Child Law, SECTION27 and the Equal Education Law Centre.

For more information on the campaign visit the website.

Sources: GroundUp

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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The Muscular Dystrophy Foundation’s Gerda Brown dispels the myths around Muscular Dystrophy to help bring awareness and understanding to South Africa.

South Africa (13 July 2023) – Muscular Dystrophy is an umbrella term that includes more than 70 different genetically inherited muscle-wasting conditions. Statistically, it affects one in every 1 200 people, but in South Africa, many patients go undiagnosed, and therefore untreated. There are many myths about the condition but Gerda Brown is here to bust them!

It can be severe, and for many years was considered to be largely untreatable. This fact, combined with South Africa’s poor diagnostic ability, means the country has a poor understanding of what Muscular Dystrophy entails, and how affected patients and their surrounding communities can think about their approach to managing its impact.

“Muscular Dystrophy is much more common in our communities than we realise,” explains Gerda Brown, General Manager of the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation of South Africa (MDFSA) National Office.

“MDFSA is working as hard as it can to clarify common Muscular Dystrophy myths, which is a vital part of the overall education process.”

Myth #1 – Muscular Dystrophy can be ‘caught’

Muscular Dystrophy isn’t a communicable medical condition and doesn’t spread in the same way as illnesses such as Covid-19, or flu. It can’t, in other words, be passed from one person to another by physical contact.’

Its conditions can occur when there is no previous family history involved, but many are clearly genetically inherited, which means one or both parents carry damaged genes, which then affect one or more of their children.

Myth #2 – Only parents with Muscular Dystrophy can have children with Muscular Dystrophy

This is false. Many people live with ‘recessive’ Muscular Dystrophy genes, which means that they themselves are not affected by, or show symptoms of, Muscular Dystrophy. Although the damaged gene is very much part of their DNA, it is not ‘active’ in their physiology.

It is therefore perfectly possible for parents carrying recessive Muscular Dystrophy genes to have a child or children with Muscular Dystrophy.

Myth #3 – Muscular Dystrophy Only Affects Males

There is an element of truth to this idea, because Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is inherited by an X-chromosome-linked recessive pattern, which means males are at an increased risk of being affected by this condition.

But, other forms of Muscular Dystrophy do not feature similar gender slants, and females are very much affected. Parents and Doctors should look out for symptoms in both genders.

Myth #4 – Nothing can be done

For many years people believed that there was no way to treat or manage the muscle wastage caused by Muscular Dystrophy, but in more recent times it is recognised that a professionally guided approach to exercise and physiotherapy can be beneficial in mitigating the impact. It is therefore vital for all Muscular Dystrophy patients to work actively with Doctors and Physiotherapists to develop an appropriate physical management programme.

It’s also important to note that new genetic therapies are emerging for several conditions within the Muscular Dystrophy umbrella – and that some few of these are starting to become available in South Africa. The process is slow, but access to new genetic treatments is improving, as is the number of conditions within the Muscular Dystrophy umbrella that are responding to genetic treatments.

Myth #5 – Life expectancy is very short

Some forms of Muscular Dystrophy are very severe, but it’s vital to bear in mind that each type of Muscular Dystrophy is different, and so is each individual’s journey.

Life expectancy is most often impacted when the heart and/or lungs are seriously affected by muscle wastage. But while it’s true that some patients have short life expectancies, it’s also true that many live well past middle age. Simply put, there is no one-case-fits-all life expectancy with Muscular Dystrophy.

For more information on Muscular Dystrophy, visit the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation of South Africa at www.mdsa.org.za

Sources: Supplied

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

Myths and myths.

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With 3.7 million South Africans living with one of 7,000 rare diseases, it’s time that we honestly look at what living with a rare disease in this country looks like.

South Africa (23 February 2023) – Aimee-Kate Bosch, 31-year old speech-language and feeding therapist, Javaun Theo Van Niekerk, 12-year-old car and rugby enthusiast as well as Eden Green, 5-year old girl, are but three of 3.7 million South Africans living with one of 7,000 rare diseases.

Bosch, Van Niekerk and Green were all diagnosed with a rare disease that affects the liver and spleen called Gaucher.

‘Even though there isn’t a cure for Gaucher disease, a diagnosis is not a death sentence’.

This was the sentiment shared by patients and experts alike at a webinar hosted by Rare Disease South Africa with by global biopharmaceutical company Takeda. This webinar highlighted Gaucher patient journeys which falls in line with the I am 15 campaign, where Takeda and Rare Disease SA have been shining a spotlight on rare diseases in South Africa.

Gaucher arises when a specific enzyme called a lysosome cannot complete its function. “The lysosome is responsible for breaking down fatty substrates and converts into glucose,” said CEO of Rare Disease South Africa, Kelly du Plessis.

“The typical symptoms include bruising easily, bigger stomach and nose bleeds. There are three types of Gaucher disease, one being the most prevalent. The type of Gaucher disease depends on the severity and degree of nervous system involvement.”

Gaucher disease can be diagnosed through a genetic test.

However, “due to lack of awareness of early signs and symptoms among medical practitioners who do not specialise in Gaucher disease, diagnosis can often be a lengthy process,” Du Plessis added. 

Diagnosed in 1996, Bosch, who is also the Gaucher Alliance Board of Director, recalls the time when her parents received the diagnosis. “I was diagnosed when access to information and treatment was minimal and difficult to access in South Africa. My parents were told I have six months to live,” she explained.

Although more than ten years have passed since Bosch was diagnosed, patients that are diagnosed today still face similar challenges and progress is still too slow.

“We had to visit several general practitioners before Eden was diagnosed. At diagnoses, we were given minimal facts, and medical practitioners spoke in medical jargon, so we didn’t even understand what was actually wrong and what could be done,” Kurt Green, Eden Green’s father, said.

Thanks to advances in science and technology, more treatment options are now available for patients with Gaucher.

“Most patients undergo the enzyme replacement therapy treatment, but there are other treatments as well, such substrate reduction therapy and mobility aids,” Bosch said.

Despite the strides in treatment options, patients still struggle to access these treatments due to the high cost and the fact that rare diseases are usually not covered by medical aid schemes.

“Eden’s treatment is costly, and to make sure she gets the treatment she needs, we had to start fundraising,” he explained.

Speaking to what needs to improve when it comes to diagnosis and treatment of the condition, Bosch said, “We need to educate our young doctors at the university level so that diagnosis is more seamless. Patients need to be aware of their treatment options, and treatments need to be more accessible and affordable.”

Du Plessis hopes that through the I am 15 campaign, greater awareness will translate to timely diagnosis, more patient support and ultimately improve patients’ quality of life.

To learn more about rare diseases and the I am 15 campaign, visit https://www.rarediseases.co.za/

Sources: Rare Diseases 

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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