No amount of alcohol is safe for a pregnant woman.
That was a message shared during the foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) campaign at the Mary Geldenhuys Congregational Church in Helenvale on Tuesday.
The campaign led by social development deputy minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu aims to educate communities about the dangers associated with drinking alcohol while pregnant and breastfeeding.
The department rolled out the 9-9-9 campaign over nine consecutive days throughout the nine provinces leading up to September 9, International FAS Day.
FAS disorder is a group of physical, behavioural and learning conditions that can occur in people who were exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.
A 38-year-old Gelvandale woman said for many women not having support structures around them led them to drink while pregnant.
“Our living conditions are bad and alcohol has become a problem and an escape for many of us.
“The father of my son is a drunkard and is making it easy for me to drink too.
“We need programmes to keep the community busy, and also at the clinics they should help us to have more access to such information [about FAS],” she said.
Another Gelvandale resident said women drinking while pregnant had been normalised in her community.
“Where we live we are faced with so many issues,” she said.
“Crime and drugs have killed our youth, and there is no development happening and now drinking alcohol has been normalised,” she said.
“We have a responsibility as families to look out for each other — you will find in some families that everyone drinks, and the child would grow up also doing the same thing and refuse to stop when she is pregnant.”
Five-month pregnant Emerita Dehaas, 31, of Helenvale implored social development to have more awareness campaigns and programmes about foetal alcohol syndrome.
“I don’t drink and smoke, but such programmes need to be extended in making sure that people get the message and change.
“If you walk down the streets of Helenvale, you would see children in every street, some with the disorder, and you’ll find the mother still continues drinking and doesn’t care much about the child,” she said.
Bogopane-Zulu said men should also be part of such awareness campaigns as alcohol abuse was a societal problem.
Social development MEC Siphokazi Lusithi said plans were afoot to introduce programmes that would contribute to ending alcohol and drug abuse and gender-based violence.
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