Student Affairs: Community service

There are several student-run structures doing community development in surrounding communities. These include SHAWCO and RAG.

SHAWCO

SHAWCO, the Students Health and Welfare Centres Organisation, is a student run non-governmental organisation (NGO) based at UCT.

It was founded 64 years ago to provide health, welfare and social services.

Today the organization is divided into three sectors.

The health sector which consists of about 200 medical student volunteers and volunteer doctors provides primary health care through five mobile clinics and one fixed site clinic.

The staff sector runs three Meals on Wheels programmes and seniors clubs. In the 1990s SHAWCO underwent massive restructuring and handed over most of its social services projects to government.

The education sector was founded and now consists of 800 student volunteers who run 11 projects in SHAWCO's four community centres in Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Manenburg and Kensington.

For further information contact the SHAWCO offices or visit the SHAWCO website.

RAG

RAG ("Remember And Give") is a student development organisation at UCT.

It aims to raise in excess of a million rand each year for SHAWCO to assist them in their support of underprivileged people in the Western Cape.

Each year, RAG's student and corporate fundraising activities span roughly twelve projects including:

• The "SAX Appeal" project where 50 000 copies of the annual RAG Magazine are sold on the streets of Cape Town.
• The "Big Bash" which incorporates a diverse student music festival each year.
• The RAG Corporate Golf Day.

A significant part of RAG's mandate on campus is to build the skills of its members. It does this through internal development programmes, and through its various projects. RAG believes in supporting the UCT and Cape Town communities and strives to grow its members, and to increase the amount of money donated to SHAWCO each year.

Students are encouraged to support RAG by attending its events and, early in the second half of the year to apply to join one of its committees.

Watch Varsity newspaper and UCT Monday Paper for details.

To contact SHAWCO or RAG please see contact details on the right. For more information please visit the RAG website.

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Contact

SHAWCO Student
Office
5th Floor
Steve Biko Building
Upper Campus
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch

Tel: 021 650 4522

RAG

RAG Project Co-ordinator
Tel: 021 650 3654
RAG office 021 650 3525

Email us

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