Handwashing Awareness in Mamelodi UP Initiative Helps Create Food Security

Health Sciences’ students masking up for community engagement Health Sciences’ students on community engagement

has taken a severe toll. This is why society was encouraged to show that they #Care4OurCarers on this year’s CS4D Day.

The Ithemba Foundation organises CS4D. Ithemba means ‘hope’ in isiXhosa—the message being that if depression is the illness of despair, we need to hang on to hope. In the words of Ithemba Director Dr Marita van Schalkwyk: ‘As health care workers, we must undertake to serve the sick and needy, but we must also look out for one another, help one another, inspire one another and seek help when we cannot keep up the demanding pace. There is always hope (ithemba)’.

In March, ten fourth-year occupational therapy students presented a health awareness workshop at Matimba, Mamelodi, a centre for orphaned and vulnerable children. The health awareness workshop aimed to educate the children about preventing the spread of common diseases such as colds and flu by teaching them the importance of washing their hands. This served as a timely prevention programme in the community as the world would soon focus on limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus through hand washing, among other things.

The workshop started by splitting the group into two, one group with glitter on their hands. The glitter symbolised germs. The children were then encouraged to run around and play a game of touchers and give each other high fives. After this, they noticed how the glitter had spread to the entire group. The intention was to demonstrate how quickly and easily germs spread. The children were then taught how to wash their hands properly. First, it was demonstrated to them that just washing their hands with water is not enough to remove the ‘glitter germs’ and thus they always have to use soap. Secondly, it was demonstrated that you need to wash your hands on top, below, and between your fingers. All the children were then given the opportunity to wash their hands using the demonstrated method.

The workshop was concluded by teaching the children a handwashing song. They were able to sing and dance along, bringing in fun and enjoyment.