Project description

Within the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Kopanang le fodise – Unite to heal programme in the Kopanong Local Municipality, Xhariep District Municipality in the Southern Free State – is a community-centred partnership initiative. This initiative for sustainable, holistic healthcare and social development is incorporated into community-based and inter-professional curricula, including community service-learning modules and other forms of engaged teaching and learning. All fourth-year students in the faculty spend at least a week in inter-professional groups in primary healthcare facilities of the Kopanong municipality in the Xhariep district, as part of a rural collaborative learning platform in the community of Trompsburg and Springfontein. The project also involves collaboration with students from different faculties at the Central University of Technology (CUT).

Project content

The initiative includes:

• completing household surveys for research and conducting family studies (by first-year undergraduate Nursing students, accompanied by postgraduate Nursing Education and Paediatric Nursing students);
  
• delivering an annual interprofessional health fair to provide feedback on research and to raise health awareness;
• screening Grade 8-12 learners at the different schools, screening diabetic patients, and home visits with community health workers;
• a mobile health clinic in partnership with the Free State Department of Health;
• the Community Youth Leadership project (CYLP);
• a Common Good network;
• lifestyle groups;
• CBE-IPE training;
• training in participatory action learning action research (PALAR); and
• an early childhood development project.
  

For more information, contact:
Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele
T: +27 51 401 2822
C: +27 82 401 3279
E: ramahpm@ufs.ac.za

Karen Venter
T: +27 51 401 3732
C: +27 83 310 3715
E: venterk1@ufs.ac.za