Whether they’re in a bustling city township, a small rural town or the leafy suburbs of Joburg or Cape Town, South African women often carry the weight of their families on their shoulders – all while dealing with economic pressures and social expectations at the same time. In this context, community-driven campaigns that focus on social issues for women offer something invaluable: a sense of belonging and a shared purpose, along with transformative solutions that they may not be able to access on their own.
When community campaigns involve health issues, the results can be even more profound through the additional support, whether it’s empowerment through knowledge about a certain condition, prevention tips or even treatment options.
With October being both Breast Cancer Awareness and Mental Health Awareness month, we’re reminded that the power of community extends far beyond raising funds or spreading information—it can fundamentally transform how women experience and cope with health challenges.
A sense of connection
Research has consistently found that social connection is one of the strongest factors in both mental and physical well-being. Despite this, in today’s modern world we’re becoming increasingly isolated as digital interactions become more common than in-person connections. When health campaigns are driven by a community itself rather than being imposed from the outside, they create a trusted space where people – especially women – can tap into shared experiences and collective wisdom. The result of this increased connection is more effective healing over the long term.
Sensitive issues are normalised
In many South African communities, discussing topics like breast health or mental wellness can be taboo, and so many women suffer in silence. One of the most significant psychological benefits of community health campaigns is their ability to normalise conversations around these kinds of sensitive health issues. And, when local women lead community discussions using familiar languages and cultural contexts, barriers break down. A woman who shares her story about beating breast cancer creates a sense of hope for others, while another’s experience of post-partum depression as a new mother can give others in the same situation the courage to seek help.
It promotes empowerment
Instead of being passive recipients of health information, women who are part of community-based health initiatives become empowered to help others too. For example, women who attend awareness sessions can become informal health ambassadors in their families and neighbourhoods. They may then help other women through difficult diagnoses or treatments, helping them to advocate for themselves in healthcare settings or ask important questions during medical appointments.
The confidence that’s gained in this process also helps these women tackle other goals in their lives, whether it’s furthering their education, starting a small business or taking a leadership role in their community.
5 Tips for community-based health awareness campaigns
With an overall focus on wellness and health within their medical aid offering, Fedhealth offers several tips for maximising the benefits of health awareness campaigns, whether they’re aimed at women or communities in general:
- Create inclusive spaces: Ensure campaigns welcome people from all backgrounds, ages and circumstances. When every attendee feels valued and heard, there’s more participation and more impact on their own issues and lives.
- Incorporate stress-relief activities: Health education naturally complements healthy activities that reduce stress and anxiety. For example, sessions that offer simple breathing exercises, gentle stretching or group activities such as singing, drumming or dancing can have significant mental health benefits for attendees in addition to providing them with valuable information.
- Feature local community members: When community campaigns are led by individuals who understand the unique pressures faced by other attendees – from managing a tight household budget to balancing traditional expectations with modern realities – the advice and solutions provided feel more relevant and achievable.
- Address mental health directly: Regardless of your initiative, don’t treat mental wellness as separate from physical health. Integrating discussions about stress, anxiety and emotional well-being into various health conversations demonstrates that mental health is an integral part of overall wellness.
- Provide practical resources: Ensure that people attending a health campaign event leave with practical tools they can use, such as a self-examination guide for breast health or contact information for mental health support services.
- Establish ongoing support networks: The most effective health campaigns don’t end when the physical event ends. Maintain this connection through platforms like WhatsApp groups, buddy systems, or regular check-ins with attendees to add extra value by providing ongoing support.
The strongest predictor of how well someone copes with health challenges isn’t where they live, their income level, or their level of education-it’s the amount of support they have in their social network. For those struggling to find sufficient support in their lives, especially if they’re dealing with health issues, community-driven health campaigns fill a much-needed function: they enable people to come together, share their stories and support one another in their healing process.
This month, while the focus is on breast health and mental health, the psychological benefits of these campaigns extend far beyond any single health issue: they foster resilience in individuals and in the communities in which they live.
