SOUTH AFRICA: Youth Empowerment Programme
South Africa is a nation still learning to deal with cultural diversity. Our volunteers from South Africa and abroad are helping to show that people from different backgrounds can work together towards achieving a common goal.
SPW Volunteer Peer Educators (VPEs) are placed in rural communities in the Easter Cape where they work with one local or national volunteer and reside in traditional dwellings—either rondevaals (mud huts) or small brick houses.
There are two offices: the main office in East London and the field office in Umtata. Staff visit each placement once a month to assist with evaluations and planning, and to observe facilitation of workshops in order to provide feedback to VPEs. Each cluster of volunteers arrange monthly meetings to report back achievements, help resolve problems and share information and materials with other VPEs.
Click here for more information on SPW South Africa.
 |
 |
As an SPW Volunteer Peer Educator you may:
-
Facilitate peer education classes with youth and parents regarding adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
-
Encourage behavioural change towards health and sanitation by raising awareness within your community.
-
Set up and run sports clubs, entrepreneurship clubs, craft classes and debating societies to help young people develop life skills such as leadership, critical thinking, self-esteem and self-confidence
-
Use games and activities to promote open discussion of sensitive issues among young people
-
Establish youth resource centres, libraries, and science and reading clubs
-
Establish Youth Action Groups to ensure that the voice of the youth is recognized and respected by the broader community, and to ensure that the work you are doing is sustainable
Case Study
“At our event on AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day, guest speakers from the Department of Health addressed the dangers of unprotected sex, and two young girls from the community publicly disclosed that they are HIV positive. Their willingness to do this reflects the amazing achievement of SPW volunteers in helping to break down AIDS-related stigma in the community. Mrs Sixpeni, a community elder said, ‘The volunteers have made a big difference in the lives of young people in our community, and we as elders feel obligated to support SPW and the volunteers.’” ~CHEP Volunteer
Country Information
Background: The Eastern Cape comprises vast open plains and sweeping landscapes that stretch as far as the eye can see. Its people are warm and welcoming, and despite the suppression of traditional black culture during the apartheid years, the Xhosa have retained a strong sense of culture and identity. Cattle play an important part in Xhosa culture; they symbolise wealth and are often used as sacrificial animals.
Language: Xhosa - it’s the one with the clicks!
Religion: Christian, (though traditional religion remains based on the belief in a masculine deity, ancestral spirits and supernatural forces)
Food:
-
Staple - maize, potatoes and rice
-
Meat - eaten at sacrificial ceremonies, known as mgidi, but is too expensive to be consumed daily
-
Vegetarianism - accepted easily
-
Other - Xhosa brew their own beer, also made from maize, which has a consistency similar to that of porridge and is very strong!
