A day of advice, support and praise for women

Health checks, parental advice and guidance on where to get help for abuse, trauma and other problems were offered to women at a Women’s Month event in Khayelitsha last Thursday.

The event, with the theme “Women are special”, was held at the Homestead, a non profit organisation that helps children from the streets.

Homestead social worker Yolokazi Tinto said women were pillars of strength, but their work was hardly recognised.

“We work with children, but we felt that today we need to appreciate women. We celebrate this under the theme that women are special.

“These are individuals that are passionate about their work. Another aim of today was to bring services to women. We brought in different organisations to test them on some health issues and give advice to them.”

The women received advice and encouragement on a range of topics, including how to deal with anxiety, depression, abuse, trauma, grief and relationships.

Childline social worker Phakama Magadule pleaded with the women to be patient with their children and listen to them at all times.

Many child-abuse cases happened because parents did not listen to their children and were not prepared to talk to them about sex, she said.

“A mother is a safe space for a child. Pay attention to your child. Your children must not be scared of you. Not everything needs punishment. Sometimes be a friend to your child and be open so that they will have trust in you,” said Ms Magadule.

The women were also able to get tested for a variety of sexually transmitted diseases, diabetes and hypertension.

Sister Nomasiphiwo Mlambo, from TB HIV Care, said women should make health screening a routine.

“We take care of everyone,” she said. “We have foot soldiers that go door to door to give medications to the bedridden and those who are in wheelchairs who can’t reach us.”

She said she had noticed a trend of people selling their HIV medication and defaulting on their TB treatment so they could continue to claim temporary state disability grants. “As women, let’s all discourage these acts,” she said.