The Wits Health HUBB was founded in 2020 by University of the Witwatersrand researchers Dr Del Naidoo, Dr Lisa Ware and Mr Lethu Kapueja. Their passion for youth health and in particular, their experience in working with youth in Soweto on various community health research projects drew their attention to the reality that health and poverty are inseparable. The research conducted with young people and families in Soweto over the last 30 years through the MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways to Health Research Unit (DPHRU) showed that young people typically do not engage with health as economic challenges are more pressing.

South Africa has an unacceptable burden of chronic disease multi-morbidity amongst adults. This is linked to poor healthcare access, poor access to information on how to prevent and manage these conditions and poor health behaviour. At the same time youth unemployment is at 59% creating unbearable stress, destructive health behaviour and an increasing burden of chronic illnesses amongst the youth. ​

With the aim to train up to 200 health advocates as community health workers each year, the National Department of Health is also a clear beneficiary because of the sheer scale of the intervention in the local community and because of the high quality trainees we will produce. 

• Wits Health HUBB engages youth who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) from the local area and provides psychosocial support during formal accredited training in community healthcare along with a range of skills for health research and career development.
• Youth are supervised and supported to conduct community health screening, to work in health promotion, and to engage in health research through leveraging research funding. Such activities could encompass all areas of health for example, the effects of pollution, climate change, transport, food insecurity, crime and violence. 
• Further support is given for developing innovation and creating health entrepreneurs. ​ 
• Throughout and following the programme, youth are monitored to determine the impact of the WHH programme on their career, health and economic development. Where applicable, pipelines are created for youth into tertiary education. 
  

• Tertiary education healthcare students (medicine, dentistry, clinical associates, nursing, and physiotherapy) spend time in the community at a Wits training clinic offering low-cost provision of services to the community. 
• Revenue raised from the training clinic, as well as donations from corporate partners and, where applicable, income generated from health screening or health promotion activities (such as workplace wellness days) supports the cost of training NEET youth and engaging them as advocates for the future of health within their community.

Impact 5 Year Plan

• We will train 800-1000 health advocates, to enhance economic opportunity for NEET youth, to expand community access to basic health services and to reach EVERY household in Soweto with basic health screening. 
• We will create strong links with the local existing health infrastructure to increase capacity of existing health services and to bring healthcare professionals who are in training in closer contact with the communities they will serve. 
• We will improve health literacy in the community, to help community members navigate health services and improve outcomes for conditions that typically have poor outcomes due to insufficient care and follow-up 
  

• We will contribute to reduction of the number of fatal and non-fatal strokes occurring due to under-treated hypertension. 
• We will work with schools and youth groups to help younger children understand health and what it means to be healthy and help them become agents of change for health in their local community.