Hard work at the Randfontein Show

 
Another successful Randfontein Show has come and gone, and once again Carryou Ministry, together with the Gauteng Department of Health was there, raising money and awareness, and offering health-screening and counselling services to thousands of show visitors.

Health screening results from the Randfontein Show

 Once again Carryou Ministry and the Gauteng Department of Health was at the recent Randfontein Show to conduct health screening and testing.
 "The number of people tested was considerably lower than last year," says Project Manager, Mzi Tshitsha. "We are not sure why that was the case but it could be people were afraid to be tested and know their status."
 510 show visitors were screened for a variety of conditions including, sugar-diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity levels, HIV and TB.
 "The good news is, this year only five people, three males and two females, were found to be HIV-positive," says Mzi."From a percentage point-of-view this is much better than last year and we believe people in the area may be altering their behaviours.
 "In one case we tested a woman whose blood pressure was so high that her life was in immediate danger and we immediately summoned the medical facilities present on the grounds to come and treat her. I think we may have saved her life," he says.
 "We have ordered a number of sophisticated machines to test cholesterol and at next year's Randfontein Show will be offering that as an additional service."

At the Show again

Some of the Health Screening team at the Randfontein Show.

  Every year the Randfontein Show is held around the first weekend in March and this year they celebrated their 30th anniversary.
 It is by far the biggest social and business event of it's kind on the West Rand and is the third largest show of it's type in the country.
 Up to 45 000 people visit the Randfontein Show during the four days it is held.
 It is an opportunity for local NGOs, churches and businesses to boost their coffers, strut their stuff and introduce their services and abilities.
 For the past few years Carryou Ministry has had a presence at the Randfontein Show and this year was no exception.
 We operated a cold drink stall and also offered free Health Screening and Testing.
 "It's been incredibly busy," said Mzi Tshikitsha, Health Programmes Manager.
 "A lot of people have made use of the service."
 A more detailed report will follow when the final reports are in and the numbers have been crunched.

With so much to see and do at the Show, it was hot and thirsty work for visitors and the guys manning the Carryou Ministry cold drink stall were kept busy.

Free testing, a huge success at the Randfontein Show

We know we've published this picture before but we're just so darn proud!

 The dust has settled after the Randfontein Show, we've managed to catch our collective breath and take the time needed to study and digest the effects and results achieved at the Show.
 "Our participation was an unqualified success," says Mzi Tskikitsha, Programme Manager of the Testing and Social Mobilisation Programme, an initiative operated in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Health.
 "To be honest, we were somewhat nervous before, as we've operated mostly in the Black community and knew, a large proportion of show-visitors are white. We did not know what to expect or how we'd be received.
 "But we need not have worried. The response was fantastic. Over 900 people, approximately two thirds of whom were women, made use of the free testing and screening services on offer," he says.

 Counselled

 On-the-spot tests were done for HIV, high blood-pressure and high blood-sugar and, where necessary, people were counselled by trained counsellors and referred to clinics and other medical facilities.
 "What we discovered is, there may be a misconception that HIV is not a problem in the white community," says Mzi. "But a surprising number of people tested positive and it is obvious, a great deal of work needs to be done and we are already formulating plans to do so.
 "Urgent intervention is required."
 A highlight of the Randfontein Show was when the Carryou/Gauteng Department of Health, screening and testing stall was awarded second place in its category.
 "This is an amazing achievement, as it was the first time we had a stand at the show," says Mzi.
 "The award made us feel appreciated, gave us confidence and filled us with pride. It made us feel a part of the whole community."

More Randfontein Show highlights

 The 2015 Randfontein Show has come and gone and, by all reports, was the best ever. We're still working on the final numbers and will publish a report-back soon but, in the meantime, here are a few more pictures of Carryou Ministry's involvement.

 A Carryou Ministry team of Gumboot dancers put on three performances that were all enthusiastically received.
 According to Wikipaedia, Gumboot dancing was conceived by black miners in South Africa as an alternative to drumming—which authorities restricted. Another reason for gumboot dancing was for the miners in South Africa as they worked they sang. Gumboot dancing has now become a world-known dance; in schools children perform the dance. The boots were a solution to a problem of often flooded gold mines in which men otherwise stood in knee-deep water toiling at their work stations. It is also thought that the workers used the gumboots to relay messages to each other that they did not want their bosses to overhear.
 The dancers received free caps and tshirts from local mall, Village Square, coldrinks, ice cream and food ticket.

 Another highlight was when the Carryou/Gauteng Department of Health, screening and testing stall was awarded second place in its category.
 "This is an amazing achievement as it was the first time we had a stand at the show," says Programme Manager, Mzi Tshikitsha.

Hard at work at the Show!

 The team, hard at work at the Randfontein Show, spreading the word, health-testing and raising funds!

 

Testing and screening at the Randfontein Show

 The Randfontein Show, held every year in the town, is the third largest show of its kind in South Africa.
 It draws thousands of visitors from the West Rand, Pretoria and other parts of South Africa and is the highlight of the area's annual social calendar.
 And this year, Carryou Ministry, in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Health, will have a stall as part of the Testing and Social Mobilisation campaign.
 Show-goers will have access to a variety of free screening and testing for conditions such as HIV, sugar diabetes, TB and high blood pressure.

Questions

Mzi Tshikitsha

 "There will be qualified counsellors on hand to answer questions and provide guidance," says Project Manager, Mzi Tshikitsha, "as well as opportunities to be educated about health problems, living a healthy lifestyle and the latest in treatment and prevention protocols. I urge visitors to the Show to call in at our stall and make full use of the facilities available."

 The Randfontein Show takes place at the Greenhills Sports Stadium from Wednesday 4 March to Sunday 8 March. Make a note in your diary. For more information about the Randfontein Show, programme details, ticket prices etc. point your browser at http://www.randfonteininfo.co.za/rftnshow.html

Strutting their stuff

 The Randfontein Show, Food and Music Festival, one of the biggest events of its kind in the country has come and gone. It is an important fund-raising event and a showcase for the work done by Carryou Ministry and once again the Carryou Gumboot Dancers were a hit and the cold-drink stand, manned by Carryou volunteers proved popular.
 On Saturday the heavens opened but that was not enough to dampen the enthusiasm of the dancers and the crowds that gathered to watch them.
 Here are some pictures.

Getting ready to wow the crowds again

Last year, the Carryou Gumboot Dancers blew the crowds away at the Randfontein Show, Food and Music Festival. Their slick moves and catchy beats made them a show highlight.
 And this year they plan to make even more of an impact. The troupe is hard at work perfecting their final moves and will appear on a number of occasions from Wednesday 26 Feb to Saturday 1 March.
 The Randfontein Show, Food and Music Festival is the third largest show of its kind in the country and gives Carryou Ministry an opportunity to present its work and activities to a wide range of people who otherwise would not know about the organisation.
 "We will also be operating a cold-drink stall at the Show to help raise funds," says Carryou Ministry General Manager, Rev. Lawrence Mabaso.
 Gumboot dancing has a long history in South Africa. It started on the mines where miners first used the moves, drumming on the sides of their Wellington boots and foot-stamps to communicate with each other underground.
 Later, traditional, tribal dance moves and routines were added and the style was born. Today, gumboot dancing is performed all over the world and is recognised as a truly South African dance-form.

Carryou gumboot dancers strut their stuff

At the recent Randfontein Show Food and Music Festival a group of kids from the Toekomsrus Drop-in Centre put on a number of gumboot dancing performances.
 They proved to be extremely popular and helped increase awareness about Carryou Ministry.

The Carryou Ministry team at the Randfontein Show

The Carryou team at the Randfontein Food and Music Festival.

Come and visit us at the Randfontein Show

 It's a world-wide phenomenon -- no matter how much financial support NGOs receive from governments and corporations, there just never seems to be enough cash available to meet the needs of the growing numbers of people they must help.
 It's a problem also faced by Carryou Ministry and as part of our ongoing fund-raising activities, we will be operating a cold-drink stall at the Randfontein Show Food and Music Festival taking place from Wednesday 27 February until Saturday 2 March. The Show is the third largest of it's kind in South Africa and features an enormous variety of top entertainers, over 400 quality stalls, a cheese, olive and wine festival, outdoor expo, 4x4 track and a huge fun fair with a number of new and exciting rides -- and much, much more!
 It is one of the annual highlights on the West Rand and should not be missed and this year's programme is the best ever! (Check it out here.)
 Make sure you pop by our stall to get an ice cold soft-drink and to have a chat. We'd love to see you.

 For more details about the Randfontein Show Food and Music Festival visit www.randfonteininfo.co.za or their blog that has all the latest news at www.randfonteinshow.blogspot.com

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