UPCOMING EVENTS BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR 06
03 NOV - 03 DEC Disability Rights Awareness Month Each year, our country commemorates National Disability Rights Awareness Month, which links up with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December. The Disability Awareness Month offers an opportunity for us to actively work on removing the barriers that individuals with physical, mental, cognitive, sensory, emotional, and/or developmental impairments experience daily. It is a chance to reaffirm our commitment to improving the quality of life of those living with disabilities. The Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite NkoanaMashabane, has launched this year’s theme as: The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke. It’s all about creating and realising an inclusive society upholding the rights of persons with disabilities.
SADC Malaria Day An estimated 3.2 billion people are at risk of being affected by malaria, which is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites, transmitted to the human body through the bite of infected female mosquitoes. Every year, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) commemorates its Malaria Day, to garner awareness about the disease and rally the malariaendemic community to play its part in the drive towards malaria elimination. The theme of World Malaria Day 2021 is: Reaching The Zero malaria Target. Malaria is predominantly found in tropical and subtropical areas, and currently it is Africa which carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. It is vital that our communities participate in malaria control programmes to combat the growing statistics.
56 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2021
14 World Diabetes Day The theme for World Diabetes Day 2021-23 is access to diabetes care. Why? Because a centennial after the discovery of insulin, there are still millions of world citizens living with diabetes around the world who cannot access the healthcare they need. Diabetic individuals must receive ongoing care and support in order to manage their condition and heed off complications. The scary reality is that without proper care, diabetics are at major risk of facing blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and/or lower limb amputation. According to the International Diabetes Federation, it is estimated that by 2035, almost 600 million of us may be living with diabetes. This is why World Diabetes Day is essential for educating everyone on the disease and making access to better healthcare a reality.
