Following a successful open day last year, the Tafelsig Community Day Centre is determined to replicate its previous achievement by bringing the best services to the community.
At the start of the festive season, the facility focussed on men’s health. According to the centre, men in the Tafelsig community play a crucial role within their families.
“The importance of looking at men’s health is a very broad aspect, which includes the importance of physical, emotional, spiritual well-being as a holistic approach towards inner-healing of yourself,” says Sister Bianca Roode, manager of the project and second in command at the Day Centre.
The project was run in conjunction with the medical officer Sandisiwe Tandwa and health promotion officer Germaine Williams, who approached different stakeholders, non governmental organisations (NGOs), environmental health officers and the local councillor Washiela Harris to reach their achievement of well-worth towards the male participants in Tafelsig.
“At the open day we had different motivational speakers sharing their own experiences of failures and successes. Organisations such as Living Hope, Man Up, the GBV team and the drug and rehabilitation facility Matrix in Tafelsig, also gave an input,” says Roode.
Men had the opportunity to test for prostate and testicular cancer. They also tested for HIV and TB.
Roode added that libraries display lots of information in books on men’s health and the local librarian can assist with this.
“At the Day Centre residents can undergo free blood pressure tests, glucose levels and HIV/TB screenings and testings. During the start of the campaign gift bags were given as thanks to our community. Medical questions were asked from the crowd to the medical staff present, as well as from the stakeholders. I want to reiterate that Tafelsig Clinic is here to bring awareness, assist, help and motivate all about these services that the City of Cape Town renders at the clinic,” Roode says.
