Services
ABOUT US
Touching Nations is a registered non-profit organisation that is primarily staffed from the community and is field-based. The organization offer comprehensive wellness services in response to a number of communicable diseases and provide interventions to eliminate recidivism amongst youth. Touching Nations is the social arm of The Father’s Touch AOG Church which was established by Pastors Mark and Winifred Le Fleur. Our programmes promote overall health and wellness and our interventions are focused in the places where people live, work, play and study. We are committed to limiting the suffering of people, advocate for their rights and desire to see their dignity restored.
Touching Nations serve communities that can be characterized as being migratory and demographically diverse and we offer community orientated primary health care where people live, work and study. In addition to this, we provide facility-based HIV and TB counselling as well as victim empowerment programs and interventions. As such Touching Nations have a number of professional nurses as part of their cadre of clinical staff and trained community care workers, auxiliary social workers and enjoy progressive relationships with doctors, academic institutions, ward counsellors, social workers, dietitians, environmental health officers, ECD centre managers, both primary and secondary school staff and community leaders at various strata and influence in the community.Through training and mentorship we have been able to set up support systems that complement our health and social programmes. Our relationship with government directorates and communities is directed to build and strengthen public health care and social cohesion.
Donations
Touching Nations is partly funded by the generous donations of private individuals and organizations. Support us by making a tax deductible donation; we will gladly provide you with a Section 18A certificate.
HIV/AIDS, STI & TB
Janet* (not her real name) is a 25-year-old woman living in Bonteheuwel on the Cape Flats. She enjoys watching movies on Netflix and takes a taxi daily to Woodstock where she works as a seamstress. Last month, she visited the Clinic in her community for family planning. Upon being assisted by a Touching Nations Lay Counsellor who was doing health education in the waiting area, Janet felt the need to have an HIV Test. She has decided to have herself tested as she and her boyfriend of six months are in a committed, monogamous relationship and they plan to stop using condoms. Janet had two previous partners and they often had unprotected sex. She is nervous as it is her first time doing an HIV test. Janet was seen by one of the Lay Counsellors and counselling was provided to Janet before her HIV test was conducted. This was done in order to explain the overall process and to prepare her for the outcome of her test results. Upon receiving her results, Janet immediately contacted Ricardo* (not his real name) and shared the news that she tested negative for HIV.
Her story could have been so different and like Janet, we too need to familiarise ourselves with behaviours that impact on our sexual wellbeing. Should you wish to make use of our services, be it education or testing, please contact us via email on
hast@touchingnations.org or call us at
021 224 0983 during office hours.
- Filicity Horn – NPO Project Manager
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Community Home-based Care
Note: this story is a work of fiction, and no character information is at all related to real persons.
Ann is the eldest of four children who is staying in Leiden, Delft as back-yard dwellers for the past nine years. Recently she has been complaining about a cough that does not let up. She was advised by a Community Health Worker to visit one of the clinics in Delft. A week later Nicky, a Community Health Worker received Ann as a referral from the Clinic via her special electronic mobile device. These devices are meant to replace the paper-based system. Ann’s results on the device confirmed her positive TB diagnoses. With Ann’s address now known, Nicky made her way to her where she stays in Leiden to conduct a household assessment.
With her permission, Nicky uploaded all the health and household conditions electronically on her mobile device. Furthermore, it was found that there were more people within Ann’s household that was exposed to tuberculosis. Nicky referred the family members via her electronic device to the health facility to notify about possible TB contact and TB tests were requested. The Clinic responded with a date and time for the rest of the family to be at the health facility. This electronic linkage made the process for Ann and Nicky so much easier to gain access to health care services. Nicky explained to Ann that she will pay her a weekly follow-up visit and will record it as well to track her progress.
When after 14 days, Ann reported an adverse reaction to the TB medication. Nicky updated the progress report electronically and referred Ann back to the Clinic. Anne was expediently assisted by medical staff at the Clinic as a result of the electronic linkage pathway between the Health Facility and Touching Nations supported by the M-Health application on the mobile device.
Should you wish to make use of our services, please contact us via email on ihcbs@touchingnations.org or call us at 081 781 0977 during office hours (Mon-Fri.: 08:00-15:30).
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Drug-Resistant TB Counselling
Note: this story is a work of fiction, and no character information is at all related to real persons.
Peter is a 30-year-old male living in Elsies River in Cape Town. He enjoys spending time with his friends over weekends. Peter works in Epping at a factory as a storeman. For the past two weeks he has been experienced a bout of insistent coughing, loss of appetite and night sweats. Peter is very conscientious about his health and as in the past, he requested to see the nurse at work, who referred him to his local clinic to have a TB test. At the clinic he was assisted by a one of our Drug Resistant Counsellors who screened him for TB symptoms of which he has more than one. Peter was given two small jars in which he had to give a sputum specimen. Peter was informed by the counsellor that both jars will be sent to the laboratory for testing and that he need to return to the clinic within the next two days to receive his results. True to character, two days later Peter returned and was diagnosed with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Our Drug-Resistant counsellor provided much needed counselling and had been with Peter on his treatment journey for the full 9 months. Peter has completed his TB journey and is in good health and continue to enjoy watch soccer and rugby with his friends.
TB is airborne and anyone can contract it. Should you wish to make use of our services, be it education or testing, please contact us via email on hast@touchingnations.org or call us at 021 224 0983 during office hours.
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Victim Empowerment
The VEP's support services also extends to Gender-Based-Violence (GBV), whereby the therapeutic services aids to deal with the impact of the incident that had been experienced. The project is guided by the Victim Support Services Bill (VSS), which outlines the minimum norms and standards and guides organisations regarding VEP services. The focus of the services is two-fold: firstly, to render psychosocial support services that encompasses therapeutic counselling on an individual, couple, family and group. Secondly, educational workshops that comprise of awareness and preventive measures around crime and violence. Moreover these services are rendered by registered social workers and social auxiliary workers. The objectives of the project are to ensure that victims receive emotional and practical support, to assist victims with the management of trauma and lastly to refer victims to appropriate services where need be. Touching Nations VEP services are free and open to members of the public that are 18 years and older and reside within Elsies River, Delft and its surrounding areas.
Should you wish to make use of our services, be it therapeutic counselling or educational workshops, please contact us via email on vep@touchingnations.org or call us at 021 224 0983 during office hours (Mon-Fri.: 08:00-15:30).
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Social Crime Prevention
Irving is 14 years old and lives in Clarke Estate, Elsies River which is notorious for high levels of crime, gun violence, and drug abuse. Irving comes from an unstable home environment where his parents do not have enough money to provide for his basic needs.
Touching Nations came to his High School to render school-based programs to children in conflict with the law and their victims to reduce recidivism, by providing a continuum of services ranging from prevention programs to children, youth, and family members. The program’s aim is reached through the different projects of school-based programs, holiday programs, family/ parent workshops, and reintegration/ aftercare services, in the Metro-North region which includes Elsies River, Bishop Lavis, & Delft.
Irving shared his story after his encounter with Touching Nations, “At first, I joined a gang for the status of being in one as I was constantly being bullied at school for not having proper school clothes and shoes, but then later, I found myself starting to get into gang fights, and abusing substances such as tik. It was when Touching Nations came to our school and rendered the school-based programs focusing on substance abuse and bullying that I decided to reach out for help. The holiday workshops offered by Touching Nations provided a safe alternative for myself who might otherwise have gotten trapped on the wrong side of the law trying to survive.”
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Our Partners
