A critical initiative designed to tackle the nutritional and socio-economic challenges faced by Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) outpatients in Cape Town has received a R735 000 injection and is poised to have a significant and lasting impact on the lives of those most vulnerable to this devastating disease.
The South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT) recently provided the Athlone-based Mhani Gingi Trust with funding for a vehicle to transport staff and materials between sites.
The Mhani Gingi Trust is targeting more than 200 vulnerable patients receiving care at Kuyasa Clinic, in Khayelitsha, and DP Marais Hospital, in Tokai, where food insecurity is significantly hampering treatment adherence and recovery.
Reflecting on its financial support to the Mhani Gingi Trust, SAMCT representative, Mr Faried Boltman, said: “The Trust’s admirable initiative is designed to deliver a sustainable urban agriculture model, inclusive of training qualified unemployed agricultural graduates, establishing vegetable and herb gardens and equipping recovering patients with agricultural skills. Patients are to also receive African Grower kits with which to create home gardens, thus enabling their continued access to nutritious food and the added benefit of potential income-generation from surplus produce.”
The Mhani Gingi Trust project’s location, at the Saartjie Baartman Centre, provides both infrastructure and institutional support.
Mr Boltman added: “This initiative not only improves patient outcomes and reduces community transmission of MDR-TB, but also empowers marginalised groups through skills development, food security and dignity restoration. Crucially, it effectively contributes towards addressing poverty alleviation, health and the need to develop sustainable livelihoods.”
“The Mhani Gingi Trust is geared to support marginalised communities using urban agriculture, which promotes nutritious, healthy eating and self-employment and, particularly, assists outpatients suffering from TB, especially the MDR strain. However, support impact has been limited by the lack of transport in travelling from the Trust’s Centre of Excellence to both Kuyasa Clinic, in Khayelitsha, and the DP Marais Hospital, in Tokai.”
“In view of the Mhani Gingi Trust’s commitment to providing a sustainable solution to help combat chronic hunger and poverty amongst the marginalised locally, the SAMCT was pleased to be in a position to provide funding for an appropriate vehicle, taking the Trust’s admirable project to a new level, said Mr Faried Boltman.
The SAMCT was created in 2008, the result of a partnership between Old Mutual Unit Trusts and Al Baraka Bank, for the creation, marketing and distribution of a suite of Shariah Funds. The organisation provides funding, services and other resources to improve the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged. It has successfully delivered sizeable assistance solutions throughout
South Africa – irrespective of race or religion – and continues to work to support needy organisations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation and education. The organisation has long served as a pivotal conduit for the channelling of funding, vital services, and resources to approved public benefit organisations, and remains committed to catalysing positive change and creating a lasting impact on the development and upliftment of, especially, disadvantaged individuals and communities. Its funds are distributed to help improve the health and development of deserving people and organisations, irrespective of race or religion.
“The Trust’s effort is highly commendable, offering – as it does – a holistic and sustainable solution to addressing critical challenges faced by MDR-TB outpatients. By providing access to nutritious food, empowering patients and promoting community engagement, our intervention will go some way toward helping the Trust improve treatment outcomes, reduce the spread of MDRTB and create healthier and more resilient communities. I am confident that our financial assistance will indirectly have a significant and lasting impact on the lives of those most vulnerable to this devastating disease,” Mr Faried Boltman stressed.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za
www.samct.co.za