YOU CAN Activists seeks to radically expand its community engagement focusing on training and awareness on best practices to maintain lifestyles that reduces the risks towards Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) requiring resource-intensive renal dialysis. The first two years (focus herein) will focus on the most rural communities of the eleven (11) Municipal districts of KwaZulu-Natal. The project includes:

  • Developing and distributing scientific materials that have been simplified and translated in either IsiZulu or English

  • Training of children and adults on sustainable pro-health lifestyle changes to ensure a good Quality of Life

  • Working closely with government and other organizations to ensure access to clean drinkable water as a primary strategy og pur campaign to reduced deaths as a result of CKD

  • Co-ordination of community-based project activities

The project aims to effectively reach 50% (directly) of people living o in rural areas in KZN. For the first two years, we anticipate to reach 20% of the above long-term target.

The project will train and develop and seek to emphasize:

  • Enabling school-going children to understand their bodies. This includes the importance of drinking sufficient water to ensure sustained kidney health. Key to our intervention is to sensitize children, from a early development age, on the importance to maintaining a healthy lifestyle to eliminate chronic diseases which potentially lead to Chronic Kidney Disease.

  • Training and establishment of Health Clubs in 25 Schools in the first phase.

  • Creating effective awareness and training about Chronic Kidney Disease to adults. Emphasis on proper control of chronic diseases such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

  • Creating awareness of the danger posed by Herbal Enemas as far as organ failure is concerned. This engagement will focus on pregnant women who are usually the primary care givers of most children. This will further form part of our general training to discourage unscientific methods to treat CKD which has caused so many unnecessary deaths.

  • Engaging with government on issues of access to water.