On July 1st 2017, the community of Maphungwane held its very first PEPFAR-sponsored community health fair which took place at Mphundle High School.The event started with a 5K run for participants ages 8 to 45 and a 5K walk for those 46 and up.The event continued with opening remarks from the school and presentations from Ms. Dumsile from the Swaziland Diabetes Association, followed by Head nurse Ms. Gama from Tikhuba clinic. They highlighted the importance of knowing one’s health status and provided information on diabetes, HIV and high blood pressure. After their presentations, the crowd was then dispersed to take advantage of the several activities that were present including fun aerobics! 73 people tested for HIV and one individual learned they were positive. Counseling was provided and nurses will continue check up with that individual. 63 others tested for their blood pressure and for diabetes.On the business side, 13 community members rented stalls for E10 each and their merchandise ranged from art pieces, cooking utensils, bracelets, clothes, brooms and more. There were several other activities for children including: Sack race, face paint, coloring, “Ask a nurse booth”, Frisbee, and bouncing castle. Many of the activities were designed to keep the kids active during the fair and the Ask a Nurse booth was especially designed for kids to ask any questions they wanted without the presence of their parents. They learned how to use a stethoscope, measure their BP and were able to envision what they would look like as doctors.
