Community Engagement!

We started our community engagement program yesterday and were able to see various nonprofit organizations and clinics around Bloemfontein. Our first stop was MUCPP, which stands for Manguang University Community Partnership. This clinic is in the township and was set up by the Health Department, the University of Free State, and the Manguang community. When we walked inside, there were patients everywhere. The waiting room was full, and there were lines of people outside each department. While they send patients with very serious ailments to another institution, the clinic can provide most services. They even deliver babies there and have a physiotherapy center. All of the services are free, just like all public healthcare facilities in South Africa. Another interesting program offered is called LoveLife. Youth from the township come into the clinic when they have free time to be trained in HIV/AIDS prevention education. Then they go into their community to educate others. Not only does this program increase awareness about HIV/AIDS, it also gives these youth something to do with their free time rather than getting into trouble or involved in crime.

We returned to Lebone village to get a better understanding of what they do. They house 42 orphans who are affected or infected by HIV/AIDS. They transport the kids to school each day and provides nutritious meals for them. After school, they offer afternoon classes and homework help. The village even has a computer lab to ensure the children develop necessary skills to secure a job. Lebone village also has a large farm of vegetables, a chicken farm, and a greenhouse of flowers. They use this food to feed the children, feed other poor families in the area, and then sell for a small income. We stayed for a long time to just play with the small children who were not yet old enough to go to school. They were so cute and brought us so much joy!

Next we went to Heidedal, a colored area of Bloemfontein. We toured the facilities of a program called REACH. They offer life skills training, such as computer skills and hygiene classes. In addition, they provide HIV counseling and an afterschool program and nutritious meals to children ages 7-18.  On the way home, we passed Palonomi hospital in Heidedal. It was interesting to see that the public hospital was right beside the private one. It was clear that the private one was much nicer and newer than the public one.

Today, we visited Free State Care in Action. This organization provides a daycare three days a week. In addition, they have a soup kitchen on Wednesdays and Fridays. Pick n Pay, a supermarket here, donates produce to the organization. Therefore, they are able to provide fresh foods to the poor families. The kitchen staff there packs parcels of basic foods for 80 people and their families each week. They also take clothing donations from the community and distribute them to the families that come in daily. Finally, there are social workers on staff to help families apply for grants to help with the financial burdens they face.