16 women from different communities came together with Khanya College to write and publish their book called ‘Our Lives Our Communities’ which has been read by many people in many different places.
Our Lives Our Communities focuses more about the struggles of the working class, their real lives and the challenges that they have encountered in their upbringing. These women are all Community Health Care Workers (CHWs). The book shows their upbringing. They are also the members of Gauteng Community Health Care Forum (GCHCF) which is situated in Gauteng.
The book shares their feelings. It is about closure and personal too. Their life journey that they went is related to their work as being a CHWs. The book also deals with emotional situations, counseling and support. The book helps readers to relate as families can. It would be helpful to have more copies to distribute so to encourage and bring healing and give back hope to the hopeless. This is especially to those CHWs that are being abused while carrying out their duties, by advising that whatever situation life throws at you, it is not over. You can get support to pull through for you and your children.
Reading this book as an activist will help you grow in your struggles as they fought back and forth with the employer. The women say that they do not want Smartpurse which they were under before winning an arbitration to go back to the Department of Health. They have an award which deems them permanent employees of Department. This will help upgrade their salaries. Special thanks to these authors Thozama, Nontobeko, Karla, Dipou, Maria, Nomnikelo, Doreen, Ida, Nosicelo, Zoleka and others, as well as Khanya College for supporting and publishing the book. Amandla.
By Nontobeko Majola