April News

Education, Education, Education!

We are so proud of our expansion into the education field of preventative healthcare. This is what we are passionate about and in our purpose to actively and positively impact infant mortality and morbidity rates we are working without ceasing.

We are pleased to now officially partner with the City of Cape Town as well as the Department of Health in the campaign of breastfeeding education and support. As of this month, we are happy to announce the employment of another amazing and experienced breastfeeding counsellor, Liezl Bantham. For the past 8 years she has worked as a peer counsellor at the Macassar Day Hospital and she will now be a part of the Bosom Buddies team, educating at clinics in Eersteriver, Grabouw, Strand and Gordons Bay. For our next newsletter, we promise an introductory interview with Liezl.

I had the privilege to be invited to lecture at the Khayelitsha District Hospital’s quarterly 20-hour training in breastfeeding management. The training of nursing staff and peer counsellors falls under our mission and it is in recognition of the work we are doing and the expertise and respect we have garnered in our field that we are invited to participate in the training of staff.

My colleague from the Village of Hope, Tim, introduced me to a woman who looks after 10 children, all under 2 years old, in her shack in Grabouw’s Iraq settlement. Visiting her home was another sobering reminder of the need in our urban townships. All these children are cared for without easy access to running water or electricity. The shack is bare of any furnishings and the children had no toys or any other form of stimulation. I realise of course that our preoccupation with breastfeeding and education has limits, especially for those mothers who have to go to work and need to leave their babies in the care of a woman without a fridge or means for heating expressed breast milk. It is equally as difficult for her to properly sterilise and mix formula bottles. It is near impossible for the mother to express and keep breast milk without a fridge, especially during the summer months. This dilemma disconcerts and disturbs me, since no obvious solution can be found. This is just another reminder of how desperation forces our mothers to make very difficult decisions.

Please support our Miles for Moms team. We are running up a mountain for our cause on 5 May! Next month we will have results and pictures.

ALSO! - If you've not checked out our new film 'Ovayo's Story of Hope' please do and let us know what you think!

February News

Miles for Moms Team 2012

The Miles for Moms team is back! Our challenge this year is the Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge on 5 May. Our team will be running up the treacherous and challenging Stellenbosch mountains in an effort to raise awareness and funds for Bosom Buddies. And as a special treat we have a celeb joining us! Watch this space…

This month we are growing our support groups
and antenatal efforts. We will be joining our colleagues and friends in Grabouw in the upliftment of that area, in particularly focusing on the mothers we love so much. We will have a daily presence in the MOU of the day hospital, where our employee will do what we do best – educate, support, inspire and offer hope. We are excited for this new venture and so grateful for our growth and progress.
We are also happy to be advancing into Strand and Gordons Bay, where will support the clinics at Fagan street, as well as Gordons Bay and Ikwezi.

Along with the rest of South Africa, I am outraged by the death and murder of Anene Booysen and I am pleased that it is receiving this much attention in the press, with vigils and marches and front page stories. What saddens and frustrates me is why it has taken so long to be outraged by what happens on a DAILY basis in our townships and rural areas. It is no exaggeration to say that this is a daily occurrence
to many many girls and women in our country. I am glad we are finally giving the issue some attention, but frustrated for the many years wasted. I know many teenage girls who have been brutally raped, sodomised and abused and have to see their rapists regularly out of fear to report the cases or because of our often futile social and justice system. Added in the mix are leaders that, if not condone, then silently commend such behaviour. I do hope that Anene’s death will mean swifter and more effective justice, compassion and tolerance for our women.

Some statistics: During 2011/2012 over 64 000 sexual offenses were reported in RSA. These are the reported cases. A girl like Anene had to die a violent death in order for people to take notice. Like I say, frustrating.