ABOUT THE PROJECT
This project encourages multi-sectoral collaboration and engages many different key and vulnerable population groups to determine their thoughts and knowledge regarding COVID-19, especially with regard to Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) methods and awareness raising. In addition, the project will support the Goodwood CAN to provide nutrition support to community members.
ATLANTIC FELLOW INVOLVED
RENE SPARKS
Supporting HIV prevention programmes for key and vulnerable populations in South Africa. Active in numerous civil society roles, and passionate about access to quality health services.
Health Advocacy and Clinical Compliance South Africa (HACCSA) was established in 2018. It came about as a result frustration with the current community volunteers/peer led training programmes which appeared not to have yielded the desired outcome, which was to upskill peers and community counsellors to conduct quality, integrated HIV services. Its aim was and still is to offer quality training through co-creation with community based health providers. TEKANO and Atlantic Institute has provided the opportunity for HACCSA to not only dream about community support and building resilience but actually gave it life. Most of HACCSA’s work has been through community volunteering. The grant provides the opportunity for more meaningful engagement in the following ways:
- Designing a website for community based health providers to access and share their stories: stories related to their experiences with COVID19 and their work in general. The long term goal is to provide access to quality training, the opportunity to co-create training materials so that it is more tailored and easy to understand and implement. The first training being Infection Prevention and Control for Community Based Health providers.
- Strengthen activities of the Public Health Association of South Africa’s Civil Society: HIV/AIDS, STI and TB Special Interest Group.
- Supporting Goodwood Community Action Network and Youth 4 Change Global (Manenberg based LGBTIQA NPO) with dignity/hygiene packs to key and vulnerable populations.
- Supporting community based organisations with health services to key and vulnerable populations including Migrants/Asylum seekers/Refugees, Street people as well as translating some National Department of Health COVID19 messaging into other languages, suitable to these communities.
Some of the activities have already commenced:
HACCSA is supporting the Goodwood CAN on their nutritional support drives and has dispatched some of the hygiene/dignity packs to support menstrual hygiene.
COVID19 materials have been created and shared via Instagram and Twitter.
Donation has been made to Youth 4 Change Global towards the flooring in their Soup Kitchen.
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