A woman has created a Facebook group to help Covid-19 patients find simple solutions to fight and survive the virus.
The Covid-19 Support Group on Facebook, which has raked in more than 83000 members in one month, has helped many patients to deal with the psycho-social effects of the virus.
The founder and co-administrator of the group, Nontozamo Xozwa from East London, works as an HIV and Aids co-ordinator for the Amathole District Municipality, where she is responsible for making sure each ward has a vibrant support group for patients.
“I know the value of a support group because I’ve been working with support groups so I know they really help more than treatment sometimes because we deal with people’s minds and their emotions. You can have treatment, but if a patient’s state of mind is not positive, that treatment won’t work,” she said.
Xozwa told The Star that she started the group because she noticed a lack of psycho-social assistance for Covid-19 patients and their families.
Since its establishment on Youth Day, the group has raked in about 83000 members, 90% from South Africa, who are infected or affected by Covid-19.
“I opened the group and within two hours I had about 600 people who wanted to join,” she said.
The support group is a platform that allows people to share their personal experience with the virus, their feelings and fears, coping strategies, and survivor stories to encourage positivity. The survivors also share home-made concoctions using every day products.
“In the group, we promote the use of available and affordable resources in our environment because we know that Covid-19 is expensive to maintain. We also do awareness of Covid-19, mainly disseminating key messages as prescribed by the World Health Organization,” Xozwa said.
She added that the group also emphasised healthy behavioural change for its members, and dealing with the stigma of the virus.
Xozwa and her 16-year-old son tested positive on July 9, however they were asymptomatic until their 14th day in self-isolation this past Thursday.
She applauded the members of the group for providing support for fellow members who were infected and needy.
“There was once a lady from Scenery Park, East London, who was discharged from hospital and she wrote in the group that she didn’t even have one painkiller or eucalyptus oil, or food to eat. Within 30 minutes people were outside the lady’s house and they had taken from their own medicine and resources. She came back to the group and said people even brought her airtime and electricity,” Xozwa said.
She added that good Samaritans had provided desperate members with money, and even shared their medication.
The group, which has a 10% membership from outside South Africa, receives about 2000 requests a day to join.
A challenge is the language barrier for members who post messages in their mother tongue. Members have been encouraged to use the Facebook translator so everyone understands.
Xozwa’s dream for the group is for pharmaceutical companies to come to the table and possibly sponsor needy members with over-the-counter medicines and distribute them in East London.
“We are calling for pharmaceutical companies to join the group and help us and we will identify the people who need help because there are many people that need assistance,” she said.
@Chulu_M