The Power of Nutrition and Play:
Tiger Brands Joins SHAWCO
Saturday clinics are always special. Normally, they start with walking through the campus gates early in the morning, in a stark contrast of stillness since no students are around (wondering, what am I doing here on the weekend?…). Then rounding the corner, you arrive at the SHAWCO Pharmacy, and a familiar sense of excitement fills you – you notice the medical supplies being organised for the clinic, and the growing bustle reminds you that there is a special day in the making. On Saturday the 16th of March, students stepped onto the bus bound for Hout Bay with a new kind of excitement, because along with our medical supplies, for the first time, we packed multiple boxes of nutritious and energising snacks, generously sponsored by Tiger Brands, and more specifically their two brands – Energade and Jungle! The clinic we were heading to was not going to be like any we have hosted before: a multidisciplinary clinic with some very special guests…
At this clinic, UCT Medical students were delighted to be joined by Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Audiology, Biokinetics and Exercise Science Students. Furthermore, we were also joined by several other UCT student “Play Mates”, volunteering to run a play group with waiting children. Upon arriving at the centre, we were welcomed by the local community health workers and shown to the rooms where we were to set up our respective stations. Students started dividing up into their areas of speciality: the medical students – with their stethoscopes at the ready – heading for the mobile clinics, the physiotherapy and occupational therapists – carrying around a multitude of toys and yoga mats – to the classrooms, the biokineticists and exercise scientists – with cones and balls – to the netball courts, and the Play Mates– unpacking toys and books – to the courtyard (which, unsurprisingly, immediately caught the attention of the children awaiting care).
On days like these, where health-care practitioners from all fields come together, we are reminded of the importance of holistic health, especially how the role of play in childhood is significant in aiding children’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social development. Of course, to bring all of these dimensions together, growing children need proper nutrition! We were delighted to distribute the generously sponsored nutritious Jungle Bars and Snack Mixes to all the children and students, who, as a result, had energy and strength to play and work all day long. It was beautiful to see how joyful the children were to nibble as they were drawing pictures, and how they were jumping around and playing happily throughout the clinic. Not to mention that the students were able to see a record number of patients thanks to the sponsored Energade Boosts keeping them fueled and sharp!
The clinic, as always, began with the Health Promotion team meeting with the community members and speaking about different ways in which they can improve their health and that of their family. SHAWCO believes strongly that prevention of disease is the best cure for it, and while we love to see and help as many patients as possible, we also love to know that people are healthy and have no need to see the doctor. By addressing the community members in intimate groups, we are able to receive feedback and engage more with them. The relationship between health-care practitioner and patient is at its optimum when there is participation from both ends, and so we strongly emphasise these talks. They also give students the opportunity to share information on topics like climate change, and how it can be a major determinant of health. Ultimately, we can help to protect both the health of the community and the environment in which they reside.
After the health promotion talk, the students started receiving a long list of patients. SHAWCO is lucky enough to have its own mobile pharmacy, and so, after their appointments, patients were able to fill their prescriptions immediately, free of charge, without having to worry about making their way to another clinic. The medical, physiotherapy, audiology and occupational therapy students all saw different patients concurrently. Having all four disciplines available at the clinic proved to be very beneficial, with the example of one soccer-loving child who came in presenting with a long-standing painful leg, his grandmother worried that it was something more serious than a strained muscle. After assessment by the medical students, who concluded it was indeed a problem with his muscle, he was conveniently sent to the physiotherapy students where he received exercises to ease his symptoms and get him back onto the field in no time. How grateful we felt in that moment that we had all come together, and he was able to receive the help he needed.
The Biokinetics and Exercise Science students set up on the netball courts, where they had multiple stations focusing on gross motor function for a local soccer team, Hout Bay United Soccer Club. At the same time, the UCT Play Mates kept all the waiting children occupied by reading them stories, playing with toys, blowing bubbles and drawing together. One of the most difficult aspects of treating children is trying to manage their reluctance to be assessed by the health-care practitioner, but by turning the environment into one that is centred around play, we were able to keep them happy and engaged. We hope that by creating a positive environment like we did at this clinic it will inspire parents to see the benefits of play on family cohesion, and especially by providing healthy snacks, make them more likely to come back to the next clinic.
We were also honoured to meet two CSI representatives from the Tiger Brands Team, who came to see what we are all about. In speaking with them, we reflected on how there is so much that can be done to uplift communities, from donations to recycling projects, and how supporting and collaborating with organisations like SHAWCO directly contributes to an increase in health outreach and community upliftment. When we handed out the sponsored snacks, it was clear to see how it created a sense of feeling supported and seen amongst the community members – and students! – and overall contributed to the immense liveliness of the day. We are excited to continue working with Tiger Brands, and hope to make more connections in order to uplift communities and extend our outreach even further.
When the time came to pack up our stethoscopes, balls and yoga mats, we were filled with a wonderful sense of accomplishment and inspiration. This day served as an important reminder that children need to receive the right nutrition in order to play, which will ultimately positively affect all aspects of their health and development, which is not just physical but also social and emotional. It is so rewarding to finish a clinic having seen so many patients, and to speak with experts like the Tiger Brands representatives and community health workers, who are truly interested and invested in the upliftment of peoples’ lives. It is so rewarding to be around students, who like you, feel happy to make whatever difference they can. As the bus drove us back down the windy road to campus, looking out the windows and smiling, I remembered ‘This is what makes Saturday clinics special .’
