For Azalet Dube, helping people in distress is more than a job — it is a calling that has shaped her work as a health promoter with Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Affectionately known as “Mama Dube”, she spends her days educating communities about health, conducting workshops for partner organisations, sharing information with patients and offering emotional support to those in need.
A trained teacher and counsellor, Dube spent 10 years in education before switching careers to health promotion, a move she says has allowed her to make a difference in people’s lives.
“My love for helping people in distress, especially children, is deep, and just knowing they are well warms my heart,” she said.
“My teaching experience prepared me for health promotion; it makes it easy to engage with patients or communities when I conduct health talks. I realised that the teacher in me would enable me to easily share information and make a bigger impact.”
Dube joined MSF nearly eight years ago, initially working as a counsellor in a migration project supporting people who faced barriers to accessing healthcare in central Johannesburg, South Africa.
She later became a health promotion supervisor in the organisation’s HIV project in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal.
Her commitment to community health came into sharp focus during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when she supported MSF’s response in Gauteng Province.
She visited communities to promote handwashing, encourage the use of face masks and explain the health services available through the organisation.
Her efforts attracted recognition from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who acknowledged her work in his weekly presidential newsletter.
Today, Dube is once again on the frontline, helping migrants displaced by anti-migrant violence in South Africa in June.
She is part of an MSF team working in Johannesburg to provide primary healthcare, treatment for chronic conditions, psychological support and first aid to affected communities.
The team also distributes essential supplies, including hygiene kits, and refers patients who need further treatment to clinics and hospitals.
For Dube, the current intervention has reinforced lessons learnt during the pandemic, particularly the importance of teamwork in reaching vulnerable people.
“During the COVID-19 outbreak, we worked as a team, and this is what helped us to be effective despite the massive challenges we faced,” she said.
“The President’s recognition was a testament to teamwork; it was not just my work but a contribution by each team member.”
She said health promoters played a crucial role in introducing MSF to communities and building trust before other medical teams begin their work.
“As the HP team, we are the front runners and the face of our interventions. When we arrive in a community, we explain our role as MSF, who we are, what we do, the services we offer, our protocols and how we work,” she said.
“Once the community accepts us, the rest of the team follows. This is all teamwork because all other teams will then get into it already knowing all is set and that makes our work easier.”
One recent encounter with a displaced family has stayed with her.
Dube recalled visiting an open space in Johannesburg where hundreds of people had sought refuge after allegedly being forced from their homes.
Among them was a distressed mother struggling to care for her two-month-old baby, a toddler and another young child.
The woman told Dube that stress and a lack of food had affected her ability to breastfeed. Her baby had been crying since the previous night and was cold and hungry.
“The woman was overwhelmed and in tears. The baby was cold and hungry,” Dube said.
Dube and her colleagues immediately intervened, setting aside their other duties to help the family.
“I took the baby and dressed her up comfortably, while the other colleague prepared formula milk. After a while, the baby stopped crying and fell asleep,” she said.
The response left a lasting impression on Dube, who said the incident demonstrated the importance of colleagues working together to meet urgent needs.
“Seeing everyone step up to support her moved me. It is something that will stay with me – teamwork is the key to unlocking anything. Such situations always leave me with a heart full of gratitude,” she said.
Despite the emotional toll of working with people who have experienced displacement, fear, illness and loss, Dube said the opportunity to help others continued to motivate her.
Since July, the MSF team has reached more than 4,000 migrants in Gauteng Province, listening to their experiences and providing health information through individual and group sessions.
For Dube, each encounter is a reminder of the importance of ensuring that vulnerable people can access healthcare and receive support during difficult circumstances.
Her work continues to centre on a simple principle: reaching people in need, earning their trust and helping them access the care and dignity they deserve.
