On Thursday, 09 November special guests, our Board of Directors, management team and ‘tenners’ (those hitting the 10-year service milestone at TB HIV Care during the last financial year) joined Prof. Harry Hausler at the Double Tree Hotel in Woodstock for TB HIV Care’s Annual Stakeholder Meeting (ASM).
It’s an important event on our annual calendar as it gives Prof. Harry Hausler (CEO), Lionel Janari (Chairperson) and Greg Wesson (Treasurer and Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee) a chance to present our programmes’ performance and financial standing (FY2022-2023) – as well as connect with our funders, partners and stakeholders.
This year’s ASM was held under the theme Mental Health in TB and HIV Programmes, and it was incredible to hear Babalwa Makhonco Mbali (Senior Social Worker), Sabelo Chumane (Social Worker) and Dr Clare Hoffman (Mental Health Specialist) speak about the realities on the ground, and how mental health services are layered and delivered through our programmes in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The keynote address was delivered by Jenn Drummond, HIV Prevention Branch Chief, CDC South Africa, who flew in specially for the event, and we can’t thank her enough for her reflections and insights on mental health, including the call to “holistically address all the individuals we serve.” Jenn Drummond saluted TB HIV Care for “leading the way” in addressing and incorporating mental health in TB and HIV programming, and it was a privilege to hear her speak.
As always, a highlight of the ASM was our ‘tenners video’, which celebrates team members with ten years under their belt at TB HIV Care! It was special, too, that many of the Cape Town ‘tenners’ could join us in person.
Laurene Booyens (Chief Programme Officer) flexed her MC skills (thank you Laurene!) and managed to keep everything on track (despite the odd technical hiccup) with warmth and humour. All in all, it was a great morning spent in the company of a great team, so thanks to all those who joined us in person or online!
