Monthly Update: June II

Nonhlanhla helping out at the support
group garden by gathering water!

Continued from Monthly Update: June I

Support Groups 

Our Khula Support Group has been having regular English lessons prepared by volunteers as well as partaking in some knitting. It is fantastic to see the ladies trying hard to use their English skills, even when we see them outside of the weekly support group meetings. The members have also taken to knitting and have enjoyed working with the yarn and needles while conversing.

The Ezwenelisha Support Group spent time gardening and participating in yoga sessions with David throughout June. This month, Ezwenelisha Support Group received the devastating news that long-time member Sizakhele passed away. She had been battling after having a stroke a few years ago and her health had slowly deteriorated. All of the members came together to support each other and pay their respects to Sizakele and her family by attending the funeral at the end of June in a nearby village. 

Members of Mother's Support Group have learnt about osteoporosis, stomach ulcers, tonsillitis, how to deal with stretch marks and of course some more mother and baby exercises.  All our ladies are attending on a regular basis and are thoroughly enjoying the topics volunteers are providing them.

Pendukile's family posing with their new tree and clothes.

10 Families

There were highlights and lowlights for this month’s ten families. The highlights were that two of our biggest families graduated with huge success. The Zikhale family and Pendukile's children all received certificates, clothing donations and an indigenous tree to congratulate them on their success!

Our thoughts and support are also with the family of patient Sibusiso who passed away this month. He struggled with his health for many months and was helped hugely by volunteers, medical coordinator Nokwethemba, the clinic and his family. He will be sorely missed and all at African Impact send his family our deepest sympathy. In order to make funeral arrangements and support his family, volunteers and staff made visits to his house and even sought the help of the local government councillor to sort funeral arrangements with Sibusiso's former employer. 

Volunteer Brittany at the clinic's intake desk.

Clinic

We hit a new target this month as Volunteers Meera and Maria saw 157 patients in one morning at clinic! Needless to say this morning the ladies were flat out. Volunteers this month have been experiencing large numbers and assisting hugely especially on clinic days that have fallen on baby immunisation days.

Home Assistance and Home Based Care

June has been a busy month for our Home Based Care and Home Assistance teams. As mentioned in last month’s blog, Velenkosi continues to go from strength to strength. He now is walking with ease and has no other illnesses, this continues to be an amazing transformation for volunteers to see.  

Patient Veronic is also beginning to look better, after a long hard battle with her health and with numerous trips to Hlabisa and Durban hospital she has finally had the operation that we hope will provide her with better health for the future. We have also been able to donate a large pack of stomach bags which means she can hopefully keep her operation clean and well looked after. Another patient who underwent an operation this month was Thembi who had a tumour removed. With help and after care from volunteers the wound has healed fully and she is now heading back to her home country of Swaziland.

Sad news on Home Based Care this month as Gogo Breast Cancer, a long time patient, passed away. She had been extremely sick for many years after having one breast removed and the wound being left open. Volunteers have been seeing her regularly for the past two years and her cheery spirit has always left them feeling uplifted, she will be greatly missed by everyone. Upon our visit to her home to pay our respects, her husband spoke fondly of the time volunteers spent with his wife. 

Home assistance this month has seen volunteers help a lot of family homes and tend to their gardens. Gogo one leg was especially pleased as the lady that would usually help her does not come anymore so she was so happy to have the help and assistance from the volunteers over various visits.

Overall June has been a very busy and exciting month. All our thoughts are with the families of all those who have passed away this month. We look forward to seeing what July brings as we meet new volunteers and kick start a season where numbers inflate! Thank you to everyone who was involved in making June such an epic hit!