Narratives from a Medical student Friday, 05 March 2021, 08:00 File image
GEORGE NEWS - Dear George Community and George Municipality, the Homeless need your help.
Last year, as a final year medical student, I did a community project where I listened to the stories of the homeless in George in order to understand their needs and to help give them a voice.
I am now taking the opportunity to share with the community what I have learnt in order to stimulate an understanding of the complexity of homelessness and hopefully to grow support from the municipality.
It is important to realise that homelessness is not simply the result of poverty, but has multiple factors that come into play, including alcohol and drug use, domestic abuse, and family conflict. All of these issues need to be addressed in order to really curb the increasing numbers of homeless people.
Ellen-Marie Trautmann
GEORGE NEWS - A young medical student at the University of Cape Town had a life-changing experience during her sixth and final year of medical studies last year.
Ellen-Marie Trautmann undertook a community project that aimed to listen to the life stories of the homeless in George, and learn from them.
Trautman was inspired by a suggestion of Dr Hermann Reuter, the coordinator for UCT s final-year medical students in the Garden Route, to record the stories of the homeless and learn from them. I had always wondered how the homeless became homeless and what experiences they had had on the streets, said Trautmann.