SHAWCO – committed to building healthy, well-rounded communities

“Life’s most persistent question is: what are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Because a group of student volunteers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) takes these words seriously and understand its importance; they sacrificed their Saturday morning – which also happened to be the middle of a long weekend – to bring primary healthcare right to the doorstep of moms and babies in Hout Bay.

The mom and baby clinic, a collaboration between the Students Health and Welfare Centres Organisation’s (SHAWCO) paediatrics and women’s health portfolios, was held at Sentinel Primary School in the seaside suburb on Saturday, 22 March. And while the clinic’s focus was on mom and baby care, the list of skilled volunteers was not limited to specialists in paediatrics and women’s health only. Instead, students from other disciplines including audiology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy gave up their time in service to the community. And for the first time this year, volunteers also included social work and psychology students who interacted with children during play therapy sessions.

“We are so excited that yet another SHAWCO clinic has come to fruition, and that we are able to bring primary healthcare straight to our patients’ doorstep and service this under-resourced community the best way we know how,” said Jae Eun Park, SHAWCO’s head of paediatrics and one of the clinic’s co-organisers. “This year is also especially significant because for the first time we had social work and psychology volunteers supporting us, which meant they could focus on providing psychosocial assessments. And that was such a bonus.”

She said including different disciplines within UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) as well as disciplines from other faculties is important, and forms part of SHAWCO’s mission to provide all patients with dedicated holistic care.

Building healthy communities

Park said the clinic aimed to bring primary healthcare services to those in need, and bridge a much-needed gap in the public health system. Growth monitoring, treatment for common illnesses such as colds and flu, facilitating health education sessions to promote healthy eating, proper nutrition and sanitation were just some of the healthcare services and topics on offer for young patients. Volunteers consulted with roughly 42 patients on the day – an outstanding turnout, considering the rainy weather. Children also participated in sports and exercise programmes, facilitated by a group of UCT exercise science students. They closely monitored and assessed children’s participation and provided feedback to their parents. These sessions, Park added, were important for development screening, and also aimed to promote socioemotional progress. Meanwhile, yoga sessions, arts and crafts and other play activities which added a fun element to the day were also part of the programme.

“Our priority is to ensure that we offer the community services of the highest quality.”

For the visiting moms, their health services included crucial screening such as breast exams, pap smears and blood pressure checks. These are particularly important for early detection of various conditions, including cervical and breast cancer, and to ensure overall health and well-being. In addition, Park said, the clinic also offered women an opportunity to connect with each other and for their children to interact and build relationships.

“Our priority is to ensure that that we offer the community services of the highest quality. Although we are students in learning, we are committed to providing our patients with dedicated care, filled with compassion and led by knowledge,” she said.

A different spin

But the clinic’s offering did not just include a health and wellness element. This year, SHAWCO also partnered with BookDash – a social impact publisher of open, African picture books for every young child. The publisher tackles the complex systems that make book ownership inaccessible to most children. The BookDash team distributed a range of books to young patients, in line with their vision to ensure that every child owns 100 books by the age of 5.

And to encourage good eating habits, SHAWCO also collaborated with Tiger Brands and Lona Fruits; and thanks to their generous donations, volunteers distributed jungle bars and dried fruit to all patients and volunteers.

“The aim of our clinic is to contribute to creating a healthier population of South Africans, by addressing health inequities through providing free primary healthcare services. Our vision for 2025 is to provide holistic care – care that addresses not only physical problems, but also the other aspects of health and well-being, by working with a multidisciplinary team,” she said.

An integral part of the community

For Shelli Marx, a dietitian and SHAWCO volunteer who has worked with the organisation for almost two decades, the clinics have become an integral part of the Hout Bay community. She said the community’s two existing primary healthcare clinics operate on only a small scale and therefore offer patients limited access to care, which is why they depend on the SHAWCO clinics.

“The two clinics are small and understaffed, and offer very limited care for the number of patients they serve. Many doctors and other staff members have left, and the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Department of Health have not filled these positions,” she said.

This, said Marx, means that it’s not always possible for doctors and nurses to give all patients the same level of attention.

“Having these doctors on duty is such an important service for the community.”

“That is where SHAWCO volunteers come in. They are thorough, and provide a [comprehensive] assessment [of all patients]. The primary healthcare clinics in Hout Bay often refer children to the SHAWCO clinic because they don’t have audiologists or speech therapists on site,” Marx said.

“Thanks to these clinics, we have identified many children with special needs, and we work [in partnership] with crèches to get these children into special needs schools. Having these doctors on duty is such an important service for the community.”