OUR CAUSES
Health Care
God never intended this life, this suffering for anybody.
This is not God’s will that we suffer like this, Sister Ethel said. Because of the poor decisions some made with the free will God gave them (the institutionalization of apartheid), she continues, “What do you see here? Misery, deprivation, poverty, illness, and the cry of the poor. It’s so many different disguises.”
Missionvale Township is home to many of the sickest and most vulnerable in South Africa. The legacy of the systematic oppression that was apartheid created overwhelming poverty, malnutrition, and unemployment…all of which contributed to the staggering statistics of sickness, including HIV infections and tuberculosis.
The Missionvale Care Center approaches health care in a holistic way. With Sister Ethel’s formal training as a nurse, she knows health is more than the absence of disease and has developed programs and services to address the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of people in addition to their physical health.
Health Care at Missionvale
The Care Center provides health care to the community in a variety of ways.
Medical Clinic
The Medical Clinic provides direct access to the services of a volunteer doctor and registered nurse. The doctor is available two days a week and the clinic’s facility enables the doctor to diagnose and treat patients, including performing minor surgeries.
Once a week, Nursing Sister runs a Women’s Clinic and physiotherapists volunteer every Thursday. There is also an Eye Clinic on site where a volunteer optometrist provides optical exams once a week and helps to provide the people with glasses when necessary.
Community Care Givers
Those too ill to come to the Care Center’s Medical Clinic are cared for through our Community Health Practitioners.
These 20 dedicated caregivers make an average of 30 home visits to those in need. They have completed an intensive training program provided by the Care Center to certify their skills in home care nursing, basic counseling, nutrition, hygiene and a comprehensive HIV/AIDS education component.
Pharmacy
A pharmacy is integrated into the Medical Clinic. From it, medication is dispensed to patients with a prescription written from the doctor and under the supervision of a qualified pharmacist.
Your one-time $375 donation…
could provide the required training for a Missionvale resident to become a Health Care Practitioner.
Your recurring monthly $100 donation…
could help keep the Medical Clinic stocked with necessary supplies and medicine needed each day.