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EntriesclosethisSunday

KAYLYNNEBANTOM

Entries forthe Blisters for BreadCharity Family Fun

Walk closeatmidnight on Sunday 2August, giving supportersa chance to make adiﬀerence forchildrenlike thoseatStAgnes Primary School in Woodstock, where many learners rely on school mealseachday.

Theannualfundraiser, organised by thePeninsula School Feeding Association(PSFA)inassociation with LuckyStar, will take placeon Sunday 16 August,atthe Green PointCommonSportsGrounds

Oneofthe people ensuring those mealsreach learners is Heather Kannemeyer. Shepreparesfood forabout 85 children at theschool everyweekday.

Kannemeyerarrivesatthe school at around 06:30daily to begin preparingbreakfast before serving porridgebetween 07:30and 08:00.

Lunchisservedat10:30

Shesayswatchingchildrenenjoy awarmmealeachday is what keepsher motivated.

“Itfeelsgreat cookingfor the children becauseyou cansee some children don’thaveanythingand arehungry. It givesmea senseof satisfaction knowingthatthere’s

ENTRYCAN PROVIDE 23 CHILDREN WITH BREAKFAST,LUNCH

somethingfor them to eat.”

PrincipalElesiaKolbe said the school hasbeen abeneﬁciarysince 2003

“Through this valued partnership, ourlearnersreceive nutritious mealsthathelpensuretheyare betterequippedtofocus,learn and

succeed in theclassroom.”

Kolbeadds that theimpactofthe

PSFA extendsfar beyond providing food

“Ithas contributedtoimproved concentration, betteracademic performance, increasedschool attendance,and happier,healthier learners.For many children,the meal they receiveatschool is the only nutritious meal they will have that day.”

She encourages Capetoniansto support theinitiativeand help raisevital funds

“Byparticipating in theBlisters

forBread FunWalk, youare helpingtomakea meaningful diﬀerence in thelives of thousands of learners.Every step takenhelp to ensure that children cancome to school with hope,ready to learn andbuild abrighterfuture.” Participants canchoosebetween a10kmwalkstartingat07:30 and a5km walk starting at 08:00. An entryfee of R125 canprovide 23 children with anutritious breakfastand lunchfor oneday Entriesare limitedto10000 participantsand will only be accepted online

Toxicologyunittospeedupinvestigations

Forfamilieswho have lost aloved onetoanunexplained or sudden death, forensic toxicology canbe thediﬀerence between questions andclosure

TheWestern Cape Government’s Forensic Toxicology Unit is now betterequippedtoprovide that closure, having become the ﬁrst provincial public forensic toxicology laboratory in SouthAfrica to achievecoveted international accreditation.

Following asuccessful assessment by theSouth AfricanNational AccreditationSystem(Sanas) the unit wasformally grantedISO/IEC 17025accreditation as aforensic laboratory

Theaccreditation covers twocritical areasoftesting:the detection of carbon monoxide poisoningand theidentiﬁcation andmeasure-

ment of drugsinforensicspecimens

Thesetests support investigations involving ﬁres, poisonings,suspected drug overdoses, andsudden or unexplaineddeaths.

WesternCapeMinisterofHealth andWellnessMireille Wenger said:“This accreditationprovides independentassurancethatthe toxicology evidence produced by ourteammeetsinternationally recognised standards, strengtheningconﬁdenceinthe resultsused by ourforensicpathologists, police investigators, prosecutorsand the courts.”

Shesaiditreﬂectedthe skilland dedication of a“highly specialised team”and supportstheir ability to providea forensic servicethat families andthe justicesystemcan trust.

TheUnitforms part of theWesternCapeDepartmentofHealth andWellness’ Forensic Pathology Serviceand supportsmedico-legal deathinvestigationsacrossthe province

By locating toxicology scientists within theForensicPathology Service, testingand interpretation canbeintegrateddirectlywiththe work of forensic pathologists and medico-legal investigativeteams

Theaccredited testswerealready beingperformed before accreditation wasgranted

However, this achievement provides independentconﬁrmation that theunit’smethods andquality controls meet rigorous international standards. Accredited methods undergoextensive validation to assess accuracy,precision,sensitivity, speciﬁcity andreliability

Thelaboratoryalsoparticipates in regularinternational proﬁciency testingand ongoingquality control.

BronwenDavies, ChiefForensic Toxicologist andScientiﬁcManager of theUnit, said this accreditationismorethana technical achievement; it’s apromise of quality, reliability, andcontinuous improvement. Wenger said forensic pathology sits at an importantintersection between health andjustice “Thisworkhelps us understand howand whypeopledie,supports investigations wherenecessary, andhelps identify emerging risks to public health.Thisachievement is an importantvoteofconﬁdence in thequality of forensic science beingdelivered in theWestern Cape public sector.”

Successshouldnotcomeatourwell-being

over time,“potentially placingour mental andphysicalwell-beingat risk”.

We live in aculture that often celebrates beingbusy. Long hours, packed schedules, and theability to jugglemultiple responsibilities arefrequently seen as signsofsuccess.

Whileambitionand hard work arevaluable, thereisa pointwhere constant productivity stopsbeing admirableand starts becoming harmful

Burnoutisnolongera rare experience reserved forhigh-powered executives;ithas become awidespread realityaﬀecting students, parents, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, andemployees across everyindustry.

An occupational therapistand Centre of PsychotherapyExcellence(COPE)manager at Netcare

Akesodescribes burnoutasthe stateofour internal resources becoming chronically depleted

Burnoutismorethansimplyfeelingtired aftera demandingweek It is astate of emotional, mental, andphysicalexhaustioncausedby prolongedstress.

It canleave people feeling detached from theirwork, overwhelmedbyeverydaytasks,and disconnected from thethingsthat once broughtthemjoy

Unfortunately, becauseweare so busy,these warningsigns oftengo unnoticedbecause slowingdown is seen as asignofweaknessor failure. Ibelieve oneofthe biggest reasonsburnout hasbecomeso commonisthatwehavenormalisedpushing ourselvesbeyond healthylimits.

We wear exhaustion like abadge of honour,believing that success requires sacriﬁcing rest,relationships, andpersonalwell-being. Social mediaoften reinforces this narrative by praising hustle culture, making it seem as though everyone else is achievingmore

with less sleep andfewer breaks

In fact,the “three hoursofsleep doesn’taﬀectme” trendhas gone viralonTikTokand Instagram. In thevideos, people joke that they are ﬁne aftergetting very littlesleep,while acting confused, exhaustedoroverlydramatic.

Whileitmakes fora good laugh, health expertssay that regularly gettingtoo littlesleep canaﬀect your thinking,memoryand immune system over time

Oneofthe most importanthabits we candevelop is checking in with ourselvesregularly

Taking afew momentseachday to ask, “How am Ireally feeling?” canrevealwhenstressisbeginning to outweigh resilience

Checking in with yourself also createsspace formeaningful action.Itmight mean taking ashort walk,setting clearerboundariesat work,askingfor help,speakingto atrusted friend,orsimplyallowing yourself to rest withoutguilt –things I’mstill learning Often, when youshare your experienceswithothers, you’ll dis-

coverthattheyare facing thesame challenges

Thesesmall decisionscan prevent stress from escalating into fullblownburnout.Self-awarenessis notselﬁsh;itisanessentialpartof maintaininglong-term health and productivity

Employers, schools, andcommunities also have aresponsibility to create environments where well-beingisvaluedasmuchas performance. Encouragingopenconversations aboutmentalhealth, promoting realisticworkloads,and respecting personal time canmakea signiﬁcant diﬀerence Preventing burnoutshouldbea shared responsibility rather than an individual struggle. Success should notcomeatthe expenseofour well-being. Burnout remindsusthatwecannotpour from an emptycup.Bychecking in with ourselves, listeningtothe warningsigns,and prioritising balanceoverconstantbusyness, we canbuild healthier, more sustainable lives.

AJOURNO’S VOICE

Kaylynne Bantom

Entriesfor the Blisters forBread Charity FamilyFun Walk closeatmidnight on Sunday2August. PHOTO:SUPPLIED

SouperTroopersrestoredignity

KAYLYNNEBANTOM

Apersonal crisis in 2014 inspired Kerry Hoﬀmantohandout soup andsandwichestopeoplelivingon Cape Town’s streets.

Today, that single actofcompassion has grownintoSouperTroopers‘ Humanity Hubin Woodstock, wherepeopleexperiencinghomelessnessreceive holistic support to help rebuild theirlives

Hoﬀman, founderand executivedirectorof Souper Troopers, said theorganisation’sjourneybegan with asimplepromise

“I realised that daythatI didn’t want to make promises that Icouldn’tkeep,soI gave adate that Iwould show up againthe next month. For me,thatwas apowerful dayofconnection… it felt like acalling forme.”

Supported by hermother, Hoﬀmancontinued hostingmonthly social events formorethan ﬁve years, drawingbetween 400and 700peopleat each gathering.

Theevents, initially held in theCompany’s Garden before moving to theService DiningRoom in District Sixand laterthe Hope Exchange in RoelandStreet,wererun with the help of people living on thestreet

Beyond sharingmeals, thegatheringsincluded movienights, karaoke, birthday celebrations andthe distribution of toiletries,creatingopportunitiesfor connection, dignityand joy.

“Our ethosfromday onehas been dignity, love andrespect.Ifweall treateachother with dignity, love andrespect,I thinkthiswould be a superworld,” said Hoﬀman.

As relationshipswiththose living on the streetsdeepened,Hoﬀmanrealisedemergency relief alonewas notenough.

That vision ledtothe establishmentofthe Humanity Hubatthe endof2020, before the organisation relocatedtoits current premises in NewMarketStreet,Woodstock, in 2022.

THEORGANISATION’S CAST(CONNECT, ASSESS,SUPPORTAND TRANSFORM) MODEL

HUMANITYHUB

TheHumanityHub provides holistic support by meetingbasic needssuchasfood,clothingand toiletries whileoﬀeringpersonalised services includinghealthcareand addiction referrals,assistance with identity documents andgrants, family reuniﬁcation,accommodation,job readiness, skills training,legal support, transportand ongoingmentoring

Each client receives supportthrough the organisation’s CAST (Connect,Assess, Support andTransform)model.“We believethere is no one-size-ﬁts-all approach when it comes to homelessness, butwhenyou connect with an individual andlistentotheir needs, there is more than likely away forwardthatcan transformtheir lives. We want them to become independentmembers of society.”

Theorganisationnow employsformerclients throughits Souper Squadprogramme

Many have transitioned oﬀ thestreets andare living in shelters,safespacesor have reunited with theirfamilies.

CHANGINGLIVES

Souper Troopers managerMoeshﬁeqah Boschsaidshe wasunemployedand strugglingto ﬁnd work becauseofa criminal record,leaving herwithlittlehopefor the future.

Sherecalledthatshe hadbeen living with friendsand wasdeterminedtoturnher life around when amemberofSouperTroopersapproachedher andasked if shewould be interested in joiningthe organisation.“I remember goingfor theinterview.Itwas foran

administrative position.I waselatedwhenthey informed me that Ihad been appointed,”she said.Since then,Bosch hasworkedher wayup andnow oversees theday to-day operations of theNPO

Sheencouragesotherstoembrace everyopportunitythatcomes theirway andtohavethe couragetobelieve in themselves Odette Oliver,supervisorofthe AfricanWorry Dolls project, said theorganisationhelpedher regain controlofher life andgaveher theconﬁ-

dencetoleave an abusivemarriage. Having rebuilther life,she nowencourages womenfacingsimilar circumstancestoseek help,believe in theirown strength andnever lose hope fora betterfuture.

Souper TroopersemployeeRandall Skippers said he struggled to ﬁnd work afew yearsago, buthis life took apositiveturnafter joiningthe organisation

To create sustainableincome, Souper TroopersalsoproducesAfrican Worry Dolls and TroopersCoffee, partners with Woolworths to manufacturedecorations,and establisheda privatecompany,Shmiley,which is ownedby thenon-profitorganisation. Hoffmansaidestablishingand leadingSouper Troopershas exceeded anything sheimagined. “I couldnever have imagined that Icould be thedirectorofmyown organisation.Mydevotion andcommitmenttothe organisation is personal.It’sa commitmenttomygrowth andhealing.”

Souper Troopersisappealingfor donations of clothing,household goodsand ﬁnancialsupport,while also seekingvolunteersand corporate partners.Theyhopetoestablish aSouper TroopersTrainingAcademy to upskillpeople andcreatemorepathwaysout of homelessness.

TheSouper Troopers team is transforming livesby providing holistic support to peopleexperiencing homelessness. PHOTO:SUPPLIED

Bu an

Lads lightupAthlone Stadium

After weeksofintense football at StrandfonteinSportsGround during thegroup stages of the Bayviewu-16Youth CupTournament, hundreds of soccerloversgatheredat AthloneStadium on Saturday 25 July for the ﬁnals of thecompetition.

La MasiaElite Football Club (FC) from Johannesburgwon thePlatinumFinal category after defeatingUnitedFC2-0,while D6 Mitchells PlaindefeatedRisingStars by 5-4onpenalties in theGoldFinal.Ulana Academythumped SeasideAcademy 4-0inthe Silver Final, with Sunningdale City taking Bronze Finalafter overcoming Malibu United 2-0.

Bronze

Runners up :MalibuUnitedFC0

Winners :Sunningdale FC 2

Silver

Runners up:Seaside spurs0

Winners:Ulana Academy4

Gold

Runners up:RisingStars 0( Pen4)

Winners:D6mitchells plain0 (pen 5)

D6 Mitchells Plainwon on penalties

Wagiet cup

Runners up:Bayview FC 0