In a world where women struggle to access quality sexual reproductive services, Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng is a solution provider. She is a South African medical doctor, activist, facilitator, speaker and columnist.
Although being a doctor has been her childhood dream. Dr. Tlaleng didn’t know what she was going to focus on.
However something changed. During her community project in the West Rand clinics in Johannesburg, Dr. Tlaleng had many patients, often young women who consulted her for medical issues and somehow they would end up opening up to her regarding their sexual health and relationship issues. This was when she realized that she wanted to work with women full time.
She ended up setting up the first youth friendly clinic in Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape as part of her rural community project.
Now, apart from being a medical columnist at Sunday Times Newspaper, she she runs a Reproductive Clinic in Sandton and serves as the vice-chairperson of the Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition.
Dr.T as she is fondly called envisions a world where all people regardless of gender, orientation, geography, disability or economic status are at the centre of reproductive health agenda and service provision.
According to her, working with these women has been very rewarding and she doesn’t regret dedicating her time and expertise to a worthy cause.
Her advice to young medical students is this, “Medical school is tough. You will break, but you will rise and you will realize your dream. No matter what the world tells you, you are beautiful, you are intelligent and you were born with all the power and are deserving of a good life.”
