The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) Naledi assembly hosted a health day event in Naledi, Soweto raising awareness of the dangers of cancer and mental health. Community members came in numbers as the AFM accommodated and welcomed 60 people from Naledi who attended the exciting event. The health awareness eventwas attended by distinguished guests and speakers who educated community members about early cancer detection and how mental health can affect our communities, particularly young people who are faced by anxiety and depression.
Key speakers included Landela Matlala from SANCA Soweto and he elaborated on substance abuse affecting Black communities and how can people access treatment and prevention. In regards to cancer awareness Portia Guma, nurse at Chris Hani Baragwanath from the Hematology department said, “it’s important for men to know more about prostate cancer and how they can be aware of early detection and treatment. We need to encourage healthy living lifestyle in our communities and educate each other about the silent killer and diseases that are killing our nation, today’s initiative is a good sign to turn around our communities and change how we live.”
Thulani is one of the prostate cancer survivors who encouraged people through his story to never set a blind eye to any signs that might lead to prostate cancer. People were treated with goodie bags after they had aerobics class (conducted by Virgin Active instructors) which was joined by elderly people who also thoroughly enjoyed the session and were encouraged to improve their way of living through exercise and eating healthy.
Sanele Vilakazi, a representative of AFM, added “We are so grateful and excited about the response from the community and AFM would like to thank everyone who’s here and contributed towards this great initiative. We started with a fun run in the morning where everyone was a winner and they received goodie bags to take home, we will be organizing such events twice a year and we invite everyone who missed out to come and join us as we encourage a healthy lifestyle and educate our people about diseases such as cancer and motivate people to talk more about mental health.”
