The Higher Education and Training Health, Wellness and Development Centre recently recognised the Durban University of Technology (DUT) for its unwavering commitment to fostering the holistic health, well-being, psychosocial support, and holistic development of students.
This well-deserved recognition came from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Higher Health, Professor Ramneek Ahluwalia who mentioned that DUT’s efforts serve as a beacon of inspiration for the entire academic community.
Sharing her excitement on the award was Mrs Thobile Zulu, Specialist HIV/AIDS Co-ordinator at the DUT HIV/AIDS Centre, who said that the award came as a surprise as it was given to DUT during the recent meeting the university held with Higher Health
“We had a meeting with Higher Health where they were telling us about the new initiatives that they were coming up with as well as identifying DUT as a research hub for all the institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. The DUT Registrar, Dr Maditsane Nkonoane received the award on behalf of DUT. Higher Health was appreciating the work that we have been doing because they have been funding our programmes for a very long time, from the HIV Prevention programmes but now also the more comprehensive programmes. It is no longer about HIV, but they are also looking at the issues of gender-based violence, disability, sexual reproductive health, and mental health,” said Mrs Zulu.
She indicated that DUT has been consistent in offering those programmes and reporting of those programmes to Higher Health, hence DUT was given the award.
To her, this award means that DUT is doing something good for the students, in terms of providing the holistic wellness to students. Mrs Zulu felt that the award recognises the work that DUT is doing in its holistic approach to student wellness looking beyond HIV at issues such as mental health, the clinical side and self-care, encouraging students to be involved in physical activities.
“Although we are doing well, we still need to do more. We really appreciate Higher Health for recognising the work that we are doing in terms of providing a holistic approach towards student wellness,” added Mrs Zulu.
Giving a brief insight on the HIV/AIDS Centre, Mrs Zulu said they had consolidated the reporting for Higher Health and other funders of their programmes. Daily, she indicated that they promote HIV testing through the ‘Know Your Status’ and the ‘First Things First’ campaigns, where they encourage students to not only to test for HIV but for other chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
“We also do the Peer Education Programme which is our flagship because it is a programme where we train a cohort of students to teach other students on social ills such as sexual health and gender-based violence. We do it using dialogues and, they are involved in campaigns where they encourage students to do the testing. We collaborate with the sister units in terms of addressing issues of mental health and gender-based violence. We have the Silent Protest campaign that we run every year consistently which addresses the issues of gender-based violence and this year it is going to be our 10th year,” shared Mrs Zulu.
Pictured: Mrs Thobile Zulu, Specialist HIV/AIDS Co-ordinator at the DUT HIV/AIDS Centre showcasing the award DUT obtained from Higher Health.
Photographer: Mnqobi Ngobese
Simangele Zuma
