Rural Support Network

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Rural Support Network

Passionate about rural health since 1996

15/04/2025

Just a day filled with joy and laughter as we revist our fondest childhood moments. See you there😊🌱

30/09/2022

Heyy RSNetworkers📣💃🏽🥳

It's that time of year again where our old team needs to hand over to a new committee!

Do you have a passion for rural health care and rural health awareness?

This might just be the committee for you! Look at the post to see the available positions and apply before the 15th of October

25/09/2022

Heyy RSNetworkers👋🤟

Highlights captured from the SASL event on the 23rd September 2022

01/09/2022

Hey RSNETWORKERS ✨💃🏽

Dear Students and interns: We’re excited to announce that we will be hosting a Rural Seeds Café at the RHC. The title for the discussion is “What I Wish I Had Known About Rural Before Comm Serve”. All health sciences students and interns are welcome to join the discussion where young health professionals will be sharing their experiences in rural health. If you’re interested in going into rural or finding out more about it, please join the Rural Seeds Café on Thursday, 01 September, 16:30- 17:30. P.S. Mayara Floss, the founder of Rural Seeds Café, will be joining the discussion too.

Address

Cape Town

Website

https://rsncommittee.wixsite.com/ruralsupportnetwork

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Our Story

WHO ARE WE? Rural Support Network (RSN) is a student run society that formed in 1996 at the South African Medical Students Association general assembly held at the University of Cape Town. Our society strives for the development and improvement of Rural Communities in South Africa through recruitment and retention of Rural health care workers. https://rsncommittee.wixsite.com/ruralsupportnetwork

WHAT DO WE DO? We offer students the opportunity of being placed in a rural hospital for two-weeks in December, entirely funded for by the society, where they are encouraged to shadow the health professionals in the hospital, undergo recruitment at local high schools and initiate a health promotion project that can have a long term benefit in the hospital and community.

We also host, in conjuction with SHAWCO Rural, a Rural Health Awareness month for the UCT Faculty of health sciences’ students.

The Placements: This program allows students to gain exposure and experience in rural areas not just in a clinical sense, but to enjoy learning about a different culture, practice language skill, explore beautiful parts of South Africa, and learn more about your colleages. Every year we send as many students as our budget can allow, ranging from 15-20 students, grouped at different hospitals in teams of 4. Applications are done via the UCT internal system, VULA.

A study has been performed on the value of this placement experience and can be accessed via this link: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/20786204.2012.10874248?needAccess=true Recruitments:

This programme is run throughout the year but occurs mainly on the Placements trip. It involves advocating for tertiary education as an option for learners in the rural areas, specifically in the field of the health sciences. We open a window of possibility for these students - educating them about the different disciplines at our faculty, the process of application and receiving funding, placing emphasis on the importance of NBT’s, and giving our contact details to those students who need more help and mentorship to achieving this. It is a rewarding and important part of building a legacy towards improving rural health care.

Talks and workshops:

Apart from placements, our main focus is widening our (the Faculty of Health Sciences students) understanding of the National Health Crisis and Health for All, especially in the rural sector, becoming sensitized to the need for rural health care workers. We also offer skills workshops to all discplines, such as taking bloods, putting up drips and and cultural sensitisation workshops.

We also want to hear from rural doctors about their experiences, to create realistic expectation and to correct misconceptions.

Fundraising

Every year in April/May, we have our Run For Rural challenge. This is a 7km race (the average distance that a person has to walk to access their nearest health care center from their home) and is participated by students and staff at UCT.

We offer an exciting dining experience at The GOLD restaurant in September, where we enjoy a five-course meal, music entertainment and an opportunity to engage with faculty members of staff and students.

Thank you for you interest in and support of RSN! We look forward to the year ahead.

The Committee 2020:

Chairperson - Tanweer Charles

Deputy Chairperson - Aneesa Kathree

Treasurer - Thaakirah Arendse

Secretary - Vuthlarhi Shirindza

Community-Orientated Care - Chante-Lauren Witten

Workshops & Events - Funmi Afolayan, Sithandiwe Dlamini, Kopano Marobyane

Recruitments - Zola Mbaxa, Thabang Diago

PR & Marketing - Taufeeq Matthews, Tshegofatso Masenya

Fundraising - Asande Vilane, Tapiwa Tarwa

Research - Priyanka Chinniah