Several organisations are working together to change the devastating effects of lack of opportunities for young people from Sir Lowry’s Pass Village following their schooling, which is cited as a leading factor feeding the social ills of the area.
Training courses are now being offered to equip and empower community members, fulfilling the right of every person to earn a living and provide for themselves and their family.
At a ceremony with families, friends and peers present, 10 students proudly received their Home-based Care (HBC) and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificates. These young men and women then recited the nurse’s pledge and walked out of the Sir Lowry’s Pass Community Hall as qualified home-based caregivers ready to take on the job market.
They had completed a Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA)-accredited home-based care course offered by the Procare Health Nursing Academy begun in April.
A local NPC, Village Collaboration, had secured a sponsorship from the international NPO SOS Africa Western Cape to host the training course in SLP Village.
Dr Matt Crowcombe, CEO of the SOS Africa children’s charity, strongly believes every person has the right to education and training so they have a choice in determining their own future, and not be a victim of circumstance. His organisation’s commitment to this belief is self-evident in its support of the next group of students, who began their course on Friday 2 September.
The success of the initiative can be attributed to the collaborative efforts of the two organisations, their members as well as Roxanne Roman of Procare Health Nursing Academy, who believed in the vision.
The 10 graduates are: Lee-Shannon Hartnick, Jade Carelse, Haylean van Wyk, Giovanca Samuels, Gaynor Cupido, Anneke Buffel, Zana-Lee Bell, Tirsia Williams, Lanees Louw and Monique Herman.
With immediate effect, the nine women and one man will be listed with the Procare Nursing Agency and placed in positions as openings occur. The first to be snapped up was Jade Carelse, who started working at Oude Westhof Retirement Village in Welgemoed, in Cape Town’s northern suburbs, on Monday 5 September.
There are many retirement homes and care facilities in the Helderberg, and good, well-trained staff with appropriate accreditation are in great demand.
This group of outstanding caregivers stands to have bright futures ahead, showing they have what it takes to be agents of change and bringing unemployment in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village to an end.
