Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) nursing students have taken breastfeeding awareness into the community, using practical health education to promote informed support for mothers and babies.
The initiative formed part of a Breastfeeding Day Celebration held at Hebron Mall during World Breastfeeding Week. Under the theme, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works”, the event brought together nursing students, academic staff and community members to promote breastfeeding, provide counselling and address common misconceptions.
World Breastfeeding Week, supported globally by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF and endorsed by South Africa’s National Department of Health, highlights the importance of breastfeeding and the need for supportive environments that enable mothers to breastfeed.
The SMU programme opened with a welcome and overview by Mpho Kgoele, a Lecturer in Midwifery, who emphasised the need for accurate information and support. “Creating awareness is important because mothers, partners and families need access to accurate information and appropriate support when it comes to breastfeeding,” Kgoele said.
Information stalls provided community members with opportunities to interact directly with nursing students, seek advice and receive breastfeeding counselling. The engagement allowed students to apply their academic knowledge in a real-world setting while responding to public questions and concerns.
Interactive activities formed an important part of the programme. Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery (BNAM) third- and fourth-year students presented a partner-support drama skit illustrating the role families can play in supporting breastfeeding mothers.
The students also facilitated a myth-busting quiz designed to help participants distinguish between common misconceptions and accurate breastfeeding information.
Maite Seabi, a BNAM third-year student, said the community engagement provided an opportunity for students to connect their classroom learning with practical health education. “Engaging directly with community members showed us the importance of communicating health information in a way that people can understand and relate to,” Seabi said.
The event also highlighted the importance of recognising breastfeeding as a shared responsibility. Partners, grandparents, siblings and other family members can help create an environment that supports mothers and babies.
Rudzingana Andani, a BNAM fourth-year student who participated in the myth-busting quiz, said interactive activities made it easier to communicate important health messages. “The myth-busting quiz allowed us to address common misconceptions while encouraging community members to participate and ask questions,” Andani said.
Dr Mashudu Tulelo, Lecturer in the Department of Nursing, welcomed the students’ active involvement and commended their commitment to community health education. “Our students demonstrated that their knowledge and skills can make a meaningful contribution beyond the classroom,” Tulelo said. “Community engagement gives them an opportunity to serve the public while developing as future healthcare professionals.”
The initiative reflected SMU’s institutional values, including Ubuntu, student-centredness, excellence, respect, integrity and accountability. By taking learning beyond the classroom, the programme demonstrated how community engagement can contribute to public health education while strengthening students’ professional development.
The celebration also reinforced the importance of breast milk as a source of nourishment and protection for babies, while emphasising that mothers should have access to support from their families, communities and healthcare professionals.
Through initiatives such as the Breastfeeding Day Celebration, SMU continues to integrate academic learning with community service and health promotion. The Department of Nursing’s participation in World Breastfeeding Week reinforced a central message: “supporting breastfeeding is everyone’s responsibility”, with families, communities and healthcare professionals all having a role in helping mothers and babies achieve a healthy start in life.
By Dimakatso Modise
