Mholo Igama lam ngu-Alexis Whellan kwaye ndingumfundi wesine we-MD / MPH e-UTMB eGalveston. Ndifaka isicelo kwiinkqubo zokuhlala kwi-Internal Medicine ngoku kwaye ndigqibezela iimfuno zam ze-Master of Public Health ngokusebenzisa iSebe leZondlo kwi-GCFB!

Ndazalelwa kwaye ndakhulela eAustin, eTexas kwaye ndakhula nodadewethu, iikati ezi-2 kunye nenja. Ndaya ekholejini eNew York ngaphambi kokuba ndibuyele eTexas enelanga kwisikolo sobugqirha. Ngenkqubo ye-MD/MPH ye-double-degree degree, ndiye ndakwazi ukugxila ekuqondeni abantu abangagcinwanga ngokwezonyango eGalveston County. Ndenze umsebenzi omninzi kwiKliniki yaBafundi yaseSt. Vincent kwaye ndavolontiya kunye ne-GCFB kwiindima ezimbalwa ezahlukeneyo.

Kwezi nyanga zimbalwa zidlulileyo, bendincedisa kwiprojekthi yokuhlanganisa iikiti zokutya kubathengi be-GCFB abasengozini yeswekile kwaye basemngciphekweni wesifo seswekile ngesibonelelo esivela kwiBlue Cross Blue Shield yaseTexas (BCBS) enesihloko esithi “GCFB Fights Chronic Health Conditions: Isifo seswekile Imfundo yeSondlo kunye neeKits ze-Rx Meal”. Bendinomdla wokuncedisa kule projekthi kuba ibigxile ekusebenziseni isondlo ukuphucula impilo yabantu, nto leyo edibanisa ukuthanda kwam inkathalo yezempilo kunye nempilo yoluntu.

Kwiprojekthi ye-BCBS, ndincedise ukudala izixhobo zolwazi lweswekile, iiresiphi, kunye nokudibanisa iibhokisi zekiti yokutya esihambisayo. Kwikiti nganye yokutya, sifuna ukubonelela ngolwazi malunga nesifo sikashukela kunye nendlela yokulawula kunye nokunyanga isifo seswekile ngokutya okulinganayo. Sikwafuna ukubonelela ngolwazi lwezondlo ngeresiphi nganye esiyiphuhlisileyo. Kubalulekile ukuba abathengi okanye abasengozini yokuphuhlisa isifo seswekile ukuba baqonde indlela ukutya okudlala ngayo indima kwimpilo yabo, kwaye iiresiphi kunye namaphepha olwazi endiwadalileyo ayenzelwe ukwandisa ulwazi malunga nale nyaniso. Siphuhlise iiresiphi ezine ukubonelela njengezixhobo zokutya kubantu baseGalveston County. Ndincedise ukupakisha iikiti zokutya kwaye ndancedisa ekwenzeni umxholo wevidiyo yeresiphi ukuze abantu balandele xa besenza iresiphi yekhithi yokutya. 

Ndaye ndabandakanyeka kwiiklasi ezimbini iSebe Lezondlo elizifundise kule Fall – enye kwiSikolo samaBanga aPhakamileyo saseTexas kunye nesinye kwiZiko eliPhezulu laseNesler kwisiXeko saseTexas. KwiSikolo samaBanga aPhakamileyo saseTexas, ndincede abafundisi-ntsapho bezondlo bafundisa abafundi bezikolo eziphakamileyo malunga neendlela zokutya ezisempilweni kwaye ndancedisa ngemiboniso yokutya yabafundi. Kwiziko eliPhezulu le-Nesler, ndahlela umxholo weklasi yokufundisa malunga "nokunciphisa i-Sugars Added Added" kwaye ndiholele umboniso wokutya kunye nentetho kwiklasi ephezulu. Kwiklasi yaseNesler Senior Centre, siye sahambisa iikiti zokutya kubathathi-nxaxheba saza sacela impendulo kubo malunga namava abo ngekiti yokutya kunye namaphepha engcaciso. Babekuthanda kakhulu ukutya abakwenzayo kwaye baziva ngathi ulwazi esibanike lona luya kubanceda baqhubeke nokwenza izigqibo zokutya okunempilo.

Ekugqibeleni, ndenze uphando ukuze ndihlalutye ngokufanelekileyo ukusebenza kweprojekthi ye-BCBS. Kulo nyaka uzayo lo gama iprojekthi isaqaliswa, abathathi-nxaxheba kwiprogram yekhithi yokutya kunye nabo bafumana imathiriyeli zemfundo baya kuba nako ukugcwalisa uphando ukuze banike ingxelo kwiSebe leSondlo kunye nokwazisa ngeeprojekthi zezibonelelo zexesha elizayo. 

Ngelixa ndandifunda neSebe Lezondlo, ndiye ndafumana ithuba lokunceda abasebenzi beGCFB. Kwakumnandi ukwazi abasebenzi basepantry nokusebenza nabo ukubonelela ngegrosari ngamanye amaxesha kubantu abangaphezu kwama-300 ngosuku olunye! Ndikwafanele ndibone iprojekthi yeCorner Store eSan Leon. Oku bekungamava amatsha kum, kwaye bekupholile ukubona imveliso entsha inikezelwe kubahlali baseGalveston County kwivenkile eluncedo. Ngenye imini ngoNovemba, iSebe leSondlo lachitha intsasa eSeeding Galveston, lifunda ngokulima ezidolophini kunye nozinzo. Ndihlala kwiSiqithi saseGalveston kwaye ndandingazange ndive ngale projekthi ngaphambili, ngoko ndandichulumancile ukufunda ngakumbi ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo abantu abasebenza ngazo ukulwa nokungakhuseleki kokutya kwisixeko sam. Siye sakwazi nokuthatha inxaxheba kuMnyhadala waNgaphakathi wonyaka wokuqala kwiMyuziyam yaBantwana eGalveston, apho siye safundisa iintsapho ngokubaluleka kokuhlamba imveliso saza sabelana nabo ngeresiphi yesuphu yasebusika esempilweni. 

Ukungena kwi-GCFB ibe ngamava amangalisayo. Ndiye ndafumana ithuba lokusebenza kunye nabasebenzi abathile abamangalisayo abazinikele ekufundiseni abahlali baseGalveston County kunye nokulwa nokungakhuselekanga kokutya kwindawo yabo. Ndikonwabele ukufunda indlela ibhanki yokutya eqhuba ngayo kunye nawo wonke umsebenzi ongena kwiprojekthi nganye kunye neklasi nganye yemfundo. Ndiyazi ukuba endikufundileyo apha kwezi nyanga zimbalwa zidlulileyo kuya kundinceda ndibe ngugqirha ongcono kwixesha elizayo, kwaye ndilibulela kakhulu iSebe leSondlo ngeli thuba.