What We Did (2000)
by Nasheen Naidoo and Joanna Taylor

Workshops and Talks
5/06 Talk on Consultation - Dr Aghdasi (Department of Chemical Engineering, WITS) - This workshop focussed on:
1) past and present world trends in thinking and attitudes with specific reference to development
2)  the process of consultation which incorporates listening skills, receptiveness to the ideas of others and honesty, all for the purpose of attaining a common goal -- truth.
Workshop on Consultation - Ms Taherzadeh (BA Drama Honours student, WITS) - this workshop took us through practical exercises illustrating the need for good listening and communication skills.

12/06  Examining Our Value Systems -Ms Lewis (Department of Community Dentistry, WITS) - this workshop encouraged honest assessment of our personal value systems and made us look inwardly in order to assess the unique value that each person brings to the group.
Guidelines For Facilitation - Dr Bitalabeho (Department of Community Health, WITS) -this workshop emphasized the importance of creating a receptive environment for ideas in order to encourage individual input.
30/06  Sustainable Development - Dr Hlalele (Department of Community Health, WITS) - this workshop gave us an outline of basic principles needed in order to work with communities in an effective and inclusive way, and without being dominating, forceful or controlling.

4/07 Introduction to Zulu Culture - Colonel Mbongwa (Health Services, SANDF) - this workshop consisted of a brief historical, sociological and political analysis of Zulu culture, focusing on issues that may be pertinent to future work of the  SSI.

27/07 Reproductive Health Research Unit, Hillbrow - Dr Delaney (Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Baragwanath Hospital) - this was an outline of the structure and functioning of the project with emphasis on potential partnerships that could be formed between their unit and our group.

21/08 Introduction to Hillbrow Community Partnership (HCP) and Multidisciplinary (MD) Clinic, Hillbrow - Ms Bortz (Speech and Hearing Therapist and Student Co-ordinator, MD Clinic) - this was an introduction into the nature and scope of the clinic, again focusing on areas in which our group might participate. We also heard a student's perspective on the MD Clinic.

1/11 & 2/11 Skills workshop and Christ Church & Little Arch crèche visits. This took place at the MD Clinic and was a more intensive introduction to the operations of the HCP. Participants from the various groups involved in the partnership gave us perspectives on the types of skills we need in order to effectively work in the Hillbrow community. We then spent some time visiting the crèches.

Admin/Organisation
Meetings: These were held once weekly on a Monday from 5:00pm onwards in a seminar room in the Community Health Department, WITS. Communication about meetings and activities was done via phone, SMS, email and a notice board.

Facilitation: It was decided that facilitation of meetings was to be shared amongst members of the group so that everyone who wanted to could develop facilitation skills.

Attendance: Attendance at the beginning of the year was promising but dwindled with time. At the initial meeting about 25 people had attended but by the last few meetings on average 10 people attended. Meetings and activities were reduced to a minimum during test and exam periods but were not stopped altogether as students in the various years of study had differing time-tables.

Composition: The group comprised 18 medical students, 1 speech & hearing student, 1 physiotherapy student, 1 dental student and 4 nurses.

Structure: Following a brainstorming session at our first meeting, a proposal for working principles of the SSI was drawn up, highlighting issues such as punctuality, communication, accountability, responsibility etc. which were important for the efficient functioning of the group. We also listed a number of functional areas in which we required officers. These are as follows:
· Coordination
· Communication
· Secretarial
· Research and Documentation
· Social Activities
· Finance
· Minutes (minutes-taking was alternated between 2 volunteers with the aim of eliminating any bias, and decreasing the burden.)

Research: Members were asked to submit mini-reports following meetings in order to obtain both objective and subjective records of the group process.

Social Activities
Several activities, including dinners and games evenings, were held over the course of the year with the aim of building a more cohesive group.

Sites Visited
Zonkhe Sizwe Clinic, Katlehong: A member of the community health department suggested that we visit this clinic.  We were introduced to clinic staff by members of the Community Dentistry Department, WITS. We spent some time observing the functioning of the clinic and interacting with some of the patients. We also visited the attached vegetable garden, which has proven a successful community initiative. We were taken on a short tour of the surrounding area and of the community dentistry clinic.
Assessment: Distance from WITS was a major issue (about 40km); there was also uncertainty from both the community and the SSI group as to how we could fit in to the existing health care structure.

Alexandra Clinic, Alexandra: This is a well-established centre with many resources.
Assessment: The group felt that it would be more valuable in a more under-resourced centre. This clinic is an academic teaching facility and all students would have opportunities to work here in future.

Protea South Clinic, Soweto: We were referred to this site by the Community Paediatric Department, Baragwanath Hospital. This site is situated in close proximity to an  informal settlement and is predominantly a primary health care centre for young children. We visited both the clinic and the surrounding area. We observed that the clinic was under-equipped both in terms of human and material resources. The surrounding area also appeared to be lacking in infrastructure.
Assessment: This site appeared to be a possible base for a project. The community seemed happy to work with students and expressed a need for health education, nutritional advice etc. The significant travelling distance was a concern for the SSI group.

Reproductive Health Research Unit and STD Clinics, Hillbrow: We visited several hotels where sex-workers operate and also saw several STD clinics which are set up within these hotels.
Assessment: The group viewed this project as very interesting because it would allow us to learn how to work with a marginalized sector of society. However, the safety of group members working in these locations was an issue.

Multidisciplinary Clinic, Hillbrow: WITS University is an active partner in this project and the group was referred here by the Community Health Department, WITS. Members of the group attended various meetings and workshops at the clinic to gain an idea of the nature and scope of the partnership and its work.
Assessment: The convenience of the close proximity to the Medical School and the support of pre-established structures and a wide range of participants made this appear to be a good starting point for the SSI project. The multidisciplinary nature of this partnership appealed to the group since one of our founding principles is to learn to work as part of a diverse team.

Choosing a Site
After completing the site visits the group narrowed down the choices of area in which we would like to work to Protea South and Hillbrow. A project based at Protea South Clinic would have been an isolated one in comparison with the Hillbrow project. This was appealing in terms of the independence it would have afforded the group but  we decided that it was more important for us to work alongside similar projects in order that we might have greater access to advice and guidance! The MD Clinic in Hillbrow provided us with a strong base and ready support structure both academically and in terms of infrastructure.
Due to the relative inexperience of the group in development work, it was ultimately decided that in the initial phases of the project, this support structure  would be invaluable to us. We thus chose Hillbrow as the area in which we would begin our project.

The Yale Students Visit
A group  of medical students at Yale university have similar interests to those of the SSI. Last year they were to select a site in a developing country, in which they could initiate a health project or join an existing one. After some initial site visits, Tintswalo Clinic in South Africa was chosen as the base for their project, and the group chose 5 students to represent them to set up links and initiate their project in July 2000.

Unfortunately, there were complications with the site they had chosen, and they were no longer able to carry out their original plans. They communicated with Dr Tollman of the WITS Department of Community Health, who suggested that they get touch with our then newly-formed SSI group since it seemed that the two groups shared a similar vision. The SSI group was at that time scarcely bonded, and had as yet not identified the area in which it would like to work, however, we felt that it would be useful for us all to meet and to share aspects of our growth processes with each other. In addition, the Community Health Department was hoping that we would be able to set up some sort of a partnership between the two university groups with a view to working together on different aspects of a project, communicating frequently and perhaps setting up an exchange program.

The Yale students had set up a comprehensive schedule including visits to both rural and urban sites in which they could potentially begin a project, and attendance at the International AIDS conference in Durban. Our groups were therefore not able to spend a great deal of time working with each other, but we did meet on several occasions both formally and informally to discuss how we could work together, and to find out more about each other's groups. We realised that although we were at different stages of our processes, we nonetheless were able to learn from each other. We agreed that we would separately embark on projects since the Yale group had chosen a rural site to work in, and the SSI had decided to focus on an urban site. We decided that we would keep in touch about the initial steps we each took in setting up our projects, and that we would discuss ways of establishing a more formal link as our projects began to unfold.

Yale students will visit South Africa in the coming year, and we want to meet at that time to discuss further how we might collaborate on other levels, and potentially set up some sort of exchange program between our universities.

Participant Response/Feedback
As mentioned above, we decided to make subjective individual reports part of our documentation process. These were sporadically written by some members of the group and have been collated into a single document, which provides a valuable record of the group's work and insight into individual perspectives. We are indebted to Ms Lewis for this idea; it has proven useful and it is hoped that we can use it even more effectively in the coming year.

The Way Forward
Holiday work: Members of the SSI will attempt to develop a better understanding of local communities and their specific needs by spending time in Hillbrow visiting crèches, clinics, the multidisciplinary clinic and the recreation centre.

2001: During the forthcoming year, the group will build on its strengths by:
· Evaluating progress thus far, including holiday work
· Assessing the future functioning of the group with regard to recruiting new members, re-evaluating the group structure, etc.
· Designing and implementing the project
· Planning future workshops and talks. These will focus more specifically on the needs of the project itself, although we will repeat some activities for newcomers.
· Pursuing potential collaborations.