ANSA International Program Blog

In Khayalitsha, South Africa, Johanna walks from shack to shack identifying orphans and vulnerable families in some of the poorest areas in the Western Cape.  She walks slowly and gingerly side to side in unbuckled black sandals, her feet swollen and sore from complications of diabetes.  In her 60's, Johanna is one of the youngest of Ikamva Labantu's "door to door mamas", a feisty and determined group of grannies taking care of their community one step, one household at a time.

With a long history of poor access to healthy foods, diabetes is common among township residents, so it was an appropriate focus for the first nutrition workshop given for the mamas this month by Ikamva Labantu's fabulous new Health and Nutrition Manager, Lulama Sigasana. 

Global agency Community Servings' Director of Operations (fabulous guy shown here assembling food parcels) and I attended the workshop and witnessed Lulama's brilliance in delivering culturally-appropriate nutrition and health information.  The mamas first got an overview of how various food groups benefit younger and older bodies, using only realistic, locally available food options as examples.  The women then received excellent information about their own health, including what exactly is going on inside the body when a person - like Johanna - has diabetes.  The women also received valuable knowledge to share with vulnerable individuals they encounter every day.  Eager for more information, they asked if Lulama could return every fortnight!  

The workshop was the ideal first step in an extensive nutrition education and enhancement program now being rolled out in 17 townships served by Ikamva Labantu.  This work is made possible by a partnership between ANSA international partners and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), enabling the strategic integration of nutrition into the continuum of care for individuals and families living with or affected by HIV and other health concerns at both the community and the provincial service levels in South Africa.  And anyone who has been to South Africa recently can tell you that if you want to make a real impact on health issues in the townships, the best place to start is with the caregivers, the foster mothers, the creche coordinators and the community angels...in other words, the grannies.

Peace to all...Mary