Instead of going on endless, Âfruitless searches for work, young people in Orange Farm in Gauteng are enhancing their employability and life prospects by Âparticipating in loveLife’s mpintshi volunteer programmes.
LoveLife is South Africa’s national HIV prevention campaign for young people. The project empowers young people in communities to lead positive and healthy lives, pursue successful futures and stay HIV free.
For these youngsters, aged between 12 and 25, volunteering is way cooler than sitting at home and waiting for their future to happen. The young leaders do not take the world as it is; they plan to change it.
Each loveLife mpintshi Âvolunteer — mpintshi is township slang for friend — is trained and inducted into the mpintshi Âprogramme, a branded curriculum of Âcapacity- building, implementation in schools and social mobilisation.
The volunteers visit schools around Orange Farm, motivating their peers to make life choices that will protect them against HIV. They address attitudinal and knowledge gaps in schools, first at assemblies and then, when appropriate, in Âone-on-one sessions.
After at least 12 months of Âvolunteering as an mpintshi a young leader may be chosen as a Âgroundbreaker, managing a team of mpintshi volunteers.
At the Y-Centre in Orange Farm a passionate team of groundbreakers and mpintshi volunteers are Âimplementing loveLife’s Body-Ys — sexual health, life skills, dance, drama and sports Âprogrammes at schools. Young Âpeople also go to the Y-Centre to learn computer
and radio skills.
According to loveLife’s youth Âprogrammes director, Scott Burnett, the impact on the fight against HIV cannot be ignored.
“They fight individual behavioural drivers of new infections by motivating young people through our ÂloveLifestyle Âin-school programmes,” he said.
As community champions the Âvolunteers are “shifting social norms in their community by Âchallenging harmful gender Âstereotypes, Âcreating platforms for dialogue within Âcommunities and creating a positive lifestyle and healthy Âsexuality culture in their communities”.
While volunteering they also gain life skills and Âexperience that will add to their CVs and may help them with future Âemployment opportunities.
Victoria Borman, a volunteer at the Orange Farm Y-Centre, loves working with young Âpeople in her community and sharing Âinformation with her peers. “I like teaching them to believe in Âthemselves and focus on their futures,” she said.
Lebo Lehana said he enjoys encouraging and informing young people about their options in the big wide world of sex and Ârelationships. “As young people we should put our dreams into action and aim to Ârealise our full potential,” said Lehana.
Burnett described the young Âleaders as “pathfinders of Âopportunity for marginalised Âcommunities”.
“By linking in to the loveLife Ânetwork, our groundbreakers and mpintshis develop themselves and their life prospects, which build the networks and bridges that other young people will need to get connected to mainstream South African society,” said Burnett.
Mahleke Matome said that since he began volunteering at the Y-Centre he has learned a lot of skills, such as public speaking and entrepreneurship. “We are a generation tasked to solve problems facing our society today and if we don’t do it no one else will do it for us,” he said.
Phumzile Nkomo said she joined the programme to help develop and gain life skills. “We Âteach young people about the use of Âcontraceptives and in our area the rate of teenage pregnancy has gone down because of loveLife.”
Kedibone Segonoto said Âpeer-to-peer conversations make an impact in the fight against HIV/Aids among young people in Orange Farm.
“Young people feel Âcomfortable to talk about sex and HIV with their peers because we are of the same age and we can relate to their challenges,” said Segonoto.