Minister welcomes 20 new EPWP interns to tackle FAS on West Coast

The Western Cape Minister of Social Development, Albert Fritz, welcomed 20 interns who will be trained and tasked with tackling Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Vredendal and surrounding rural communities on the West Coast.

The initiative is a partnership between the Department of Social Development (DSD) and NGO partner, the Landbou Gemeenskap Ontwikkeling (LGO).

DSD has used the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) to fund 20 young people to be trained and deployed by LGO.

LGO has used the resources to train 20 young people and deploy them as Community Workers into the farming communities on the West Coast. The Community Workers work under the guidance of the LGO Social Worker and its Farmworker Committee. They’ll run;

• public education,

• school holiday programmes,

• TB & HIV/AIDS awareness,

• anti-teenage substance abuse and,

• anti-FASD programmes (link pregnant mothers, who may be drinking, to health and counselling services).

The partnership will also see DSD local offices in the region work closely with the LGO, to provide social work resources, such as child protection and early childhood development services, to tackle other social problems.

A recent study funded by DSD indicated that the prevalence of FASD in the West Coast was found to be 64 children per 1000 affected (6.42%).

This can be compared to Kimberley (60/1000), Witzenberg area (96/1000), and the worst prevalence rate in the world of 122/1000 found in De Aar.

FASD is 100% preventable. Prevention is essential because FASD is unfortunately 100% incurable.