{"id":40668,"date":"2026-08-12T10:28:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T10:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=40668"},"modified":"2026-08-12T18:56:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:56:34","slug":"vut-health-sciences-extends-care-beyond-campus-through-community-outreach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/vut-health-sciences-extends-care-beyond-campus-through-community-outreach\/","title":{"rendered":"VUT Health Sciences extends care beyond campus through community outreach"},"content":{"rendered":"

“VUT Health Sciences staff and students supported vulnerable communities through donations and outreach aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

12 August 2026 | Story by: Tshepiso Kaibe | Picture: Sifiso Nomzaza<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 minutes read time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Faculty<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Department of Health Sciences, the Faculty is Applied and Computer Sciences staff and students during community outreach visits to Emfuleni Shelter for Boys and Sharpeville Child Welfare<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For students accustomed to laboratories, lectures and the scientific routines of Medical Laboratory Science, a Friday morning outside the University environment offered a different kind of lesson: one rooted in community, compassion and the realities faced by vulnerable children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 7 August 2026, staff and students from the Vaal University of Technology\u2019s (VUT) Department of Health Sciences, within the Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences, undertook a community outreach initiative that included visits to the Asibavikele Support Group at the Sharpeville Child Welfare Society and the Emfuleni Shelter for Boys in Vanderbijlpark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The VUT Health Sciences community outreach initiative brought together material support and experiential learning. Carrying donations of clothing and non-perishable food, the team set out not only to assist vulnerable communities but also to expose Medical Laboratory Science students to circumstances beyond their everyday academic environment. The initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a global framework for addressing poverty, hunger, health, education and inequality. Although modest in scale, the outreach demonstrated how universities can connect their academic work and social responsibility to the lived needs of surrounding communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first stop was in Sharpeville, where the team was welcomed by the Asibavikele Support Group, a community-based care programme coordinated through Child Welfare South Africa. Meaning \u201cLet\u2019s Protect Them\u201d, Asibavikele supports vulnerable families, orphaned children and people living with, or affected by, HIV and AIDS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through its focus on the well-being of vulnerable children, families and people affected by HIV and AIDS, the outreach most directly aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. Its emphasis on reaching people experiencing social and economic vulnerability also supports the broader aims of Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Asibavikele programme was launched as a pilot in 2005 in Sharpeville and Benoni, although the Benoni programme later closed due to funding challenges. Today, Sharpeville is the only programme of its kind operating in Gauteng, with another based in Witbank, Mpumalanga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Masse Mokhehle, Director of the Asibavikele Support Group in Sharpeville, explained that the organisation currently supports approximately 1,200 orphaned and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS, with only 36 workers managing this extensive caseload. Unlike a residential shelter, the children remain with caregivers in their communities and receive regular visits and support from the organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asibavikele also hosts school holiday programmes that identify and address children\u2019s needs, while monthly social behaviour programmes help the organisation identify and prioritise pressing issues<\/p>\n\n\n\n

within the wider community. However, funding remains a significant challenge. A reduction in subsidised food parcels has placed additional strain on its ability to provide material assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By donating clothing and non-perishable food, the VUT team responded to some of these immediate needs. This aspect of the initiative aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty, which includes support for poor and vulnerable communities, and Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, which promotes access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Receiving the VUT donation, Ms Mokhehle described the moment as overwhelming. \u201cI\u2019m just overwhelmed, but first and foremost, I just want to say I\u2019m thankful to God for granting us this opportunity. The items might look small, but I\u2019m so grateful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Medical Laboratory Science student Miss Vanessa Dlamini, the visit offered a valuable opportunity to gain insight into realities beyond the University environment. \u201cSometimes we forget that there are unpleasant situations out there. And when we get to see these kinds of things, we learn to be grateful,\u201d she reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By extending learning beyond lecture rooms and laboratories, the outreach also aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education. It provided students with an opportunity to connect their academic development with social awareness, responsible citizenship and the practical realities confronting the communities they may one day serve as professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outreach then moved to the Emfuleni Shelter for Boys in Vanderbijlpark. Although the boys were still at school when the VUT delegation arrived, the team delivered the clothing and food donations and met with social worker Ms Lindiwe Mnguni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Mnguni emphasised that initiatives such as this offer more than material support. \u201cWe need some people to come out and empower our young boys. We need someone to give them hope,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that young people need encouragement to look beyond their present circumstances. \u201cThey need to know and understand that whatever they are facing right now doesn\u2019t determine their tomorrow,\u201d she said, stressing the value of universities reaching into communities to uplift young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spearheading the outreach was Mr Zackea Shivambu, Lecturer in the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science programme at VUT, who described community engagement as both an institutional responsibility and a simple act of sharing available resources with others. \u201cIf you have two cents and someone else needs one cent, and you can do with one cent, you would like to help reach out,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Shivambu said the department hopes to continue undertaking similar initiatives whenever opportunities and resources allow, while encouraging others to do the same. He was particularly encouraged by the students\u2019 response to the experience, saying: \u201cIt was amazing to hear some of our students articulating their thoughts regarding giving and sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the outreach, the food and clothing had reached those for whom they were intended, but the experience had also left a lasting impression on the students who delivered them. Away from lecture rooms and laboratories, they encountered the human realities that exist alongside their future profession and were reminded that serving society can take many forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative showed that the Sustainable Development Goals are not realised only through large programmes and international commitments. They also find expression in local acts of compassion, shared responsibility and meaningful engagement. Sometimes, making a difference begins simply with recognising what one has, seeing where it is needed and choosing to share it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catch the full experience on Flickr <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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