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Engaging the communities of the Cape Winelands district

SATVI was created in 2001 in response to the Tuberculosis (TB) epidemic and the need to

develop better strategies to curb TB through research.

Since then SATVI has embarked on a vibrant diverse community engagement strategy,

leveraging internal UCT resources and expertise, as well as external university resources,

local as well as international stakeholders. The organisation has managed to draw these

resource agencies into a social compact around a diverse number of programs, towards the

main objective, which is to develop and strengthen the development of TB strategies. Central

to this is the need to ensure that the community is aware of TB and related health issues,

and take ownership of the problems and solutions.

Our engagement strategy has focused in three main areas namely 1) School TB Awareness

Programs enhancing and implementing the “National Policy on HIV and TB in primary and

secondary schools”, 2) Community TB Awareness Programs and 3) TB Awareness

Programs in Communities and Clinics within the primary health sector.

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1. School TB Awareness Projects

a. Carina’s Choice (Karina se Keuse) TB drama, 2012-2013 Dr Michele Tameris, initiated Carina’s Choice, in collaboration with Associate Professor Veronica Baxter (UCT Drama Department), drama teachers and learners

from Worcester Senior Secondary School, to raise awareness about TB and clinical

research, using drama as a medium of peer education. The drama was preceded by the

development of a comic book “Carina’s Choice”, initiated by Linda Rhoda, SATVI

Communications Manager with funding from the Stop TB Partnership, a global TB

group supported by the United Nations. UCT Drama Department students & staff,

worked with learners and teachers over several months, providing mentorship and

health messaging resulting in a community of practice which moulded and shaped the

final drama production. The drama production reached 8 000 learners at 8 Worcester

high schools and is available online with English or Xhosa subtitles.

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b. Kick TB Schools Program, 2015-2016

In 2015 Dr Zameer Brey, Ms Marwou de Kock and Kelvin Vollenhoven, initiated a

collaboration with Aeras, a USA -based TB vaccine development organisation, providing

seed funding to pilot the Kick TB & HIV program, a TB awareness program in the

Worcester area. This collaboration involved identifying the schools, organising program

presenters and content, audio-visual service providers and schools.

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In 2016 this collaboration with the Department Education was expanded to take the

Kick TB Program to more schools in the Cape Winelands District. SATVI worked closely

with a team from the Department Education HIV and TB unit (Wessel Havenga and

Fabian Meyer) over a period of 3 month planning this expansion of the program. The

Department Education provided the bulk of the funding with resource information

material provided by Aeras and TB Alliance, international TB organisations.

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During these activations (2016), the Kick TB & HIV Poster competition was launched

within schools. The adjudication was done by a panel comprising of SATVI, Kick TB & HIV, AERAS and the UCT Michaelis Art School. The competition grew from 106

entries in 2016 to 309 entries in 2017. It has the potential for reproduction in TB

awareness media products and campaigns.

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c. “TB Under the Spotlight” Science Engagement, 2018

SATVI Communications Manager, Kelvin Vollenhoven, initiated discussions with UCT Anthropology Department (Chloe Shain) and Stellenbosch University Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics (Prof Rob Warren & Dr Michael Whittaker),

and the Department of Education (Mr Fabian Meyer) resulting in the “TB under the spotlight” Science Engagement, an interactive science exhibit which focused on four

areas: TB signs and symptoms, TB diagnosis, TB treatment and the workings of a TB

Research laboratory.

Over three months the organisers, TB research scientists from the Stellenbosch University, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics (SUN-DMBHG), SATVI (Marwou de Kock, Dr Michele Tameris), and UCT Anthropology Department put together the exhibit through conceptualising, designing, coordination and

transportation of the fragile exhibits to schools. Through this engagement we attempted

to demystify TB, and to sow the seed for possible career interest in Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field. Subject to funding, the organisers would

like to roll out the program on a larger scale.

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2. Community TB Awareness

a. World TB Day, 2015-2017 SATVI played a catalytic role in Worcester convening a multi-sectoral, intergovernmental

working group which included the Department of Health, Department Culture and Sports, SA Football Association (SAFA), Kick TB & HIV, Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS), Breede Valley local municipality, Cape Winelands District Municipality to develop and launch a series of

events to mark World TB month during March 2015.

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In 2017 Kelvin Vollenhoven initiated a collaboration with the Breede Valley Municipality Library Department, involving TB awareness sessions at 4 libraries with

interactive workshop discussions with community groups, storytelling about TB

presented by SATVI staff, art activities with World TB Day content themes, the exhibit

of Beat TB Graffiti wall and TB poster art, library book displays, and screening TB

educational videos.

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3. TB Awareness Programs at Community and Clinics

a. Lienkie’s Lungs (Lienkie se Longe) Drama, 2015-2016

Dr Michele Tameris, initiated Lienkie’s Lungs, a drama production, in collaboration

with UCT Drama Department, the Mothertongue community theatre project and local

actors from the community, with the aim to raise awareness about TB. This was funded

by a Welcome Trust International Engagement Award. Health messaging was

provided by Dr Tameris, UCT Drama staff and students provided the mentorship and

learning in the process and Mothertongue coordinated the recruitment and

mobilisation of actors from the local communities.

The drama went through a development phase, involving interactive workshops and

focus groups, with UCT Drama staff and students working alongside the local actors,

going into the community to test audience receptivity at busy shopping centres before

returning to the drawing board to plan the drama content and logistics. The script

development process was informed by a formative research survey conducted by UCT Anthropology students under supervision of Dr Helen Mac Donald and a Master’s

student, Dr Justin Dixon, who conducted his Masters and later a Doctoral research

involving an ethnographic and historical study of SATVI.

The program resulted in the production of an online digital novella, titled “Beat TB: Stories of Engagement”, documenting the experiences of key actors and role-players

in this drama project.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, the various initiatives reported on is a demonstration of how a clinical

research organisation, despite having a limited scope can make meaningful impact on the

community such as Worcester, which is a high burden TB area. This has been achieved

both through its own agency, and through creating sustainable partnerships with other

organisations in order to create a platform for changing the environment and people for the

better.

Despite accelerating advances in the TB research agenda, an immediate solution is

unlikely to arise immediately, so therefore the rationale for community engagement is one

which we will continually reformulate and work at to make the organisation relevant to the

constituency within which it is based.

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LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

INSTITITE OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE (IDM), PROF VALERIE MIZRAHI

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Letter of recommendation:

UCT Drama Department, Associate Professor Veronica Baxter

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Letter of recommendation:

UCT Anthropology Department, Professor Fiona Ross, Head of Department

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Letter of recommendation:

Stellenbosch University, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics,

Professor Rob Warren

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Letter of recommendation: Department of Health, Dr Danie Theron

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Letter of recommendation: Department of Education, HIV, TB Coordinator, Mr Fabian Meyer

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Letter of recommendation:

Government Communications and Information (GCIS), Regional Coordinator, Mr Peter Titus

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Letter of recommendation:

Mothertongue Community Theatre Project, Coordinator, S Skorge.

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