Background
Beyond Zero through Bumb’Ingomso has committed itself to providing support to facilities in order to improve a youth-friendly service status across Buffalo City Metro Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. In order for the organisation to strategise on how best to support the district, a baseline assessment was done in 78 supported facilities (5 community health care centres and 73 primary health care facilities) to recognise existing YFS achievements and experiments. Such information is essential for project customisation, resource allocation, intervention, accuracy and overall efficiency.
The assessment was conducted during the second quarter of 2017, a year the project was implemented for the first time. In the same year, a total of 78 primary health care facilities in Buffalo City Metro were reached from April to June.
The data collection was carried-out by quality nurse mentors from Beyond Zero (BI project) in collaboration with DoH health care workers. An assessment tool used to conduct the assessment was adopted from ‘Lovelife AYFS Toolkit’ to clarify and simplify the process.
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES – HEALTH CLUBS
Still on a mission of gathering young people of BCM in safe spaces where they will interact and express their inner concerns and ideas. As BI ambassadors we are on a mission of creating youth friendly zones in our facilities by establishing health clubs. This is whereby young people use them as a platform to equip each other on different aspects of life. Some of the health clubs involved include,Sinenjongo Club that is linked to Masakhane clinic with 10 beneficiaries, Stars Of Tomorrow Club linked to Needs Camp clinic with 10 beneficiaries and Kamvelihle Club linked to Alphandale clinic with 13 beneficiaries. Also, Cambridge club which is linked to Cambridge clinic – also known as the DIVAS.
#Sisabumb’ingomso
2 health clubs were established in 2 different clinics implementing YFS. Gompo A club that is linked with Gompo A clinic, it is comprised of 10 beneficiaries and our clubs meet on a monthly basis, and most of them have since grown. #Sibumb’ngomso nabazali bethu.
Our team within the health club session also conducted a very interesting session in Mdantsane NU3 with the involvement of parents. It is in our hearts to reach out to parents so that we can equip them on developmental stages of their adolescents so that they can support them where necessary, and we want young people to feel safe and discuss their challenges with parents rather than let young people rove around seeking help and end up with the wrong people. Parents were given a platform to ventilate their concerns and fears about their children. Champ nurse was also part of the session.
Lolly Balele,
Communications,
Bumb’INGOMSO Health Intervention