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Phelophepa Health Train

Phelophepa means "good clean health" in a combination of Tswana and Sotho and the Phelophepa Health Train currently carries outpatient medical services to remote village communities in 18 districts across the Eastern Cape of South Africa, who would otherwise have little or no access to professional medical facilities. The main aim of the service is to change perceptions and attitudes to HIV/AIDS in these communities and initiate and support community based action which will make a real impact on the spread and treatment of the disease.

The Health Train provides a unique and vital service, visiting 36 rural and disadvantaged stations in a 2 year cycle, for a week at each, enabling members of remote communities to travel to the station to receive medical attention and primary health care advice.
Over 345,610 patients have been helped through the train's mobile medical clinics since 1994 and a further 447,948 individuals have been reached through school screening, health education and counselling workshop outreach programmes.

In May 2002, One to One made a commitment to supplement these services by funding 50% of the operating costs of a crucial Mobile AIDS Unit to work alongside the Health Train. Already, One to One funding has enabled two AIDS educators to join staff working on the train. In addition, One to One has supplied a vehicle to carry assistance and educational materials to those too unwell or too poor to come to the train and a second vehicle is currently on the "high seas" on its way to join the train. The numbers of people affected by HIV/AIDS in the Eastern Cape who are unaware both of the cause and how to deal with their illness are shocking:
· 80% of women presenting at rural and urban clinics in the region are HIV positive
· 75% are functionally illiterate.
· Sexual activity begins among the youth as early as at 12 years old.
· Ignorance, fear and the traditional submission of women and girls is resulting in the rapid escalation of the spread of the killer disease and a lack of any adequate services to care for and support victims of the epidemic.

The challenge is to create a culture, which promotes healthy sexual and relational practices within communities, to inform and create opportunities for people to take positive action in their local communities to prevent the spread of the disease and support and care for sufferers, requesting and drawing support from a range of service providers. In addition, considerable emphasis is placed on the importance of nutrition. Families and individuals are encouraged to grow their own vegetables in sustainable plots of just one square metre. The initial packs of seeds are provided by the train.
In the last twelve months a significant impact has been made on HIV/AIDS infected people in 16 of the 18 targeted communities:
· over 55,000 AIDS infected patients have received home care visits from trained volunteers
· nearly 1 million condoms have been distributed
· 16 community foundations have been set up to help identify, initiate and support local district initiatives

Now One to One aim to support the Phelophepa Health Train in expanding the scope of the work to 6 more districts, while continuing to build and augment the services already established.

The mobile unit will set up at each of the 36 stations already serviced by the Health Train to supplement existing workshops delivering primary healthcare advice and information.

see our work in action