Creating awareness around epilepsy

Epilepsy SAs Natasha Daniels and Berenice Berry dish up some of the delicious potjiekos.

Epilepsy South Africa’s Western Cape branch ended its National Epilepsy Week initiative, which involved public education and awareness programmes, with a fun day at its premises in Lansdowne last week.

National Epilepsy Week was commemorated from Monday February 12 to Friday February 16.

The fun day on Friday February 16 involved participation from businesses, exhibitions by various protective workshops and organisations, as well as entertainment and a potjiekos competition.

Epilepsy South Africa (SA) is a human rights-based organisation that renders developmental services to promote equal opportunities for people with epilepsy and other disabilities.

Its services include psychotherapeuticinterventions, economic empowerment programmes, advocacy programmes with a focus on human and health rights, social justice and public education and awareness programmes.

As part of the National Epilepsy Week events, Epilepsy SA visited Ligstraal LSEN School in Paarl.

A sports day was also held in Delft, and awareness talks were held at Lentegeur Hospital, and Khayelitsha Special School.

Social worker Charlene Cloete said awareness about epilepsy is vital, as there are still myths and a stigma attached to people who have this condition.

“If people don’t have the proper information, they still judge. This awareness week was all about making epilepsy known to the community and which services we are rendering.

“Today is just a wrap-up of the week’s activities and the potjiekos competition is a nice thing to
get people together,” Ms Cloete said.

She added that the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Education Department, other organisations, as well as businesses, joined them during this time to help spread the awareness message even further.