Star For Life Mobile Clinic making impact in Schools

Star For Life has now introduced the Mobile Health Project under HIV and AIDS Prevention Programme. The launch of the Mobile Clinic is a responsive approach to the ground work laid by SFL coaches in the past 3 years of the Schools Project. The mobile clinic project is to enable young people to know their health status and properly plan for future. The project is responding to a direct call by National Government and Ministry of Health to encourage all citizens to do HIV Counselling & Testing (HCT) better known as VCT (Voluntary Counselling & Testing), so as to curb new incidents of HIV infections and promote healthy life styles.

At Sicelosthu High school in Ingwavuma area, the principal expressed his confidence on this project and was very thrilled by the level of professionalism displayed during the mobile clinic visit to his school. “I find the environment naturally welcoming as we have been prepared for this through workshops and people here are like our family members however they are professional”.

Scebile Nsele the Health Coach (who's a Professional Nurse) was thrilled to see a good turn-out of learners mixed as boys and girls taking this opportunity with enthusiasm. One participant a grade 10 male learner has remarked to the Counsellor on site that it would be better if the clinic could come on monthly basis since their out of school brothers and sisters are interested in using this facility, too.

How it works?
The Health Coach and HIV Counselor organize with the school management to visit schools and do health education in group sessions; then they will do the actual testing using rapid testing kits. The relationship that exist between local health centers make it possible to do referrals for on-going counseling and support as well as doing the CD4 count test.

A grade 10 learner with Health Coach in action

Learners have expressed their excitement in many ways, “I am glad I have used this opportunity and took responsibility about my sexual choices” says a grade 12 learner at Makhasa high school in Hluhluwe, KZN.
The mobile clinic project is a response to the need on the ground as Siphile Mdaka, (SFL Director) put it “after careful consideration regarding the number of cases our Life Skills coaches were handling in schools, we then saw a need to bring this resource close to the where young people are...in schools”.
The project has been made possible through Volvo Trucks and Pfizer partnership with Star For Life to change the life of young people.

issued by Zulu Simingaye, communication officer, Simingaye@starforlife.org