The Department of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has recently launched a campaign to create awareness and provide direction in understanding privilege and social inequality.
The Steps for Hope Campaign is the department’s Service-Learning project with the purpose to critically look at what defines privilege and the way society views it.
The campaign will benefit the TB/HIV Care Association, a national non-profit organisation dedicated to preventing, testing for and treating TB and HIV amongst certain key populations.
“The money raised from this initiative will be used to support a Drop-in Centre in central Cape Town, which provides free, non-judgmental health and wellness services to populations most at risk of TB and HIV,” says EMS student Ulrike van Rooyen.
Yolaan Andrews, Site Manager at TB/HIV Care Association, says they treat TB and HIV infections among gays, sex workers and drug addicts.
“Ninety-two percent of our clients live on the streets,” Andrews adds.
The association runs projects such as making beanies and glasses in order to generate revenue for the services it renders and accepts donations.
She added that the donations and revenue received go towards the hygiene and skills developmental needs of their clients.
Danny Oosthuizen, Communications Officer at TB/HIV Care Association, said that he once had a job, home, friends and a social life before HIV infection changed his life for the worse and left him homeless.
He added that the aim of the collaborative editorial initiative between the homeless and the Cape Argus called #TheDignityProject is for members of the public to engage with the homeless. The project is a 15-part daily series about the homeless people of Cape Town.
“We don’t want money from you, we want to be heard,” said the Cape Argus columnist.
He said the most urgent needs of a homeless person are secured storage for their personal belongings and toiletries.
The donation drive will kick off with a 5km Steps for Hope Fun Run on the Bellville Campus on 16 September 2017 and entry fees are R20 for students and R50 for adults.
For more information and how to register for the fun run contact stepsforhopefunrun2017@gmail.com.
