On Tuesday, 30 July 2019, TB HIV Care hosted a graduation ceremony for its new Health Promotion Officers in Khayelitsha. In May 2017, 14 community health workers (CHWs) from Khayelitsha were assessed and selected to attend a leanership, which was funded by the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA).
This group of CHWs were the first group to pilot the Health Promotion programme in the Western Cape by the Department of Health and HWSETA. Glen Lily Training College conducted the training on behalf of HWSETA. To assess their competence, the group had to write an external integrated examination at Northlink College, where they were deemed competent and issued with an NQF level 3 certificate in Occupational Health Promotion.
The graduation ceremony opened with a prayer, which was followed by song and dance – setting the tone for a celebratory occasion!
For Michelle Johnson (Training Coordinator), the project coordinator who managed the HWSETA project, it was exciting to see the group graduate:
“I feel extremely proud because, this was my first CHW leanership project and everybody did extremely well. To see the ladies graduate was a standout. I feel like it was the highlight of my career and bearing in mind their age, circumstances, family commitments etc., it just goes to show that when you are dedicated and passionate – age is nothing but a number.”
A big thank you to Michelle Johnson for all the hard work that went into managing this project, and for guiding our ladies through it.
Congratulations everyone! We look forward to seeing the next group graduate in September.
