Submitted by Alexandra Connors on the 2019 winter session study abroad program South Africa sponsored by the School of Nursing…
This week ,we started our journey up the Eastern Cape! This area of South Africa is remote and mostly rural; it also is one of the most impoverished places in South Africa. Therefore, this week my group and I have been volunteering our clinical skills in clinics and on home visits to very sick elderly patients. We also led an educational session for women from a rural area about the birthing process and pregnancy health tips. During this visit, we also taught women how to make reusable sanitary pads because women in this area lack a lot of basic products that we take advantage of everyday. Our group of nursing students were the first to introduce the reusable Banda pads to South Africa!
This week, we were in clinical rotations in rural townships. We had the privilege to see how lower class South Africans live each day. Many people live in metal scrap shacks and sleep on the floor. The houses are stacked pretty much on top of each other and garbage is everywhere. This was emotional for me to see because I now feel guilty for my comfy bed and the roof over my head. However, when talking to the town members during my clinical home visits and clinics, the patients were all so friendly and happy. The community feel of all of South Africa and each township is unreal. Everyone smiles and everyone helps each other. These people are really grateful for their lives and for each other, no matter where they come from. We should really take that into consideration in our lives.