The programme provides a safe space for teenage girls in Makhanda’s townships to discuss and learn about sexual and reproductive health
In Makhanda’s townships, teenage girls say they live with daily fears: high levels of rape and brutal sexual assault, alcohol and drug abuse, early and dangerous pregnancies, and misuse of child grants. There are also very few recreational facilities in the town. It is in this environment that the Entangeni Adolescent Girls Movement has taken root.
“I came across this project in Zimbabwe. In isiXhosa we call it entanga, meaning mates,” says the founder of the movement, Nomkhitha Gysman. She is the chairperson of a local nonprofit organisation campaigning against gender-based violence, the Eugenia Nothemba Gxowa Foundation. “It’s the traditional adolescent girl initiative. We’re trying to mimic that entanga.”
Inspired by the traditional IsiXhosa practice of entangeni — a girls’ hut where young women gathered to talk, connect, learn from and support one another — the project reimagines this space for the modern day. Girls aged 13 to 17 from local schools meet in groups to share experiences, learn about their rights and build confidence through dialogue. They will soon work on a theatre project.
The initiative has support from the Gender-Based Violence Femicide Response Fund. It has already brought together learners from Makhanda’s TE Mrwetyana, Ntsika, Nathaniel Nyaluza and Khutliso Daniels secondary schools to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health rights, while these gaps in formal education remain.
“Schools have Life Orientation, but generally girls have a feeling that it’s not enough,” says Gysman.
One of the project’s facilitators, Songezwa Kana adds, “Some teachers are uncomfortable in teaching them about certain topics”.. Another student, Luhlelunje Ntshanka, observes, “At school they do not go deep into these types of things.”
The urgency is evident. On New Year’s Day 2022, 65 babies were born to adolescent mothers — one of them just 13 years old, from the Eastern Cape. Many of these young mothers are forced to abandon school, leaving them dependent on child support grants and vulnerable to cycles of poverty, says Gysman. Others are denied access to safe abortion, despite laws that allow it. Some take on the role of head of household before finishing high school.
“The nation is confronted by a big problem. Adolescent girl pregnancy. Parents started to approach me — ‘Can you help our daughters?’” Gysman adds.
In response, Entangeni participants are learning to speak up about access to contraception, safe abortion, protection from gender-based violence and alternatives to alcohol and drug abuse.
For the girls, the effect is real. “I learned that there are centres or safehouses you can go to, different types of contraceptives you can use, and there are a lot of alternatives you can go to when you’re facing these challenges,” says learner Asiphile Bashe.
Another learner, Emihle Gagayi adds, “Entangeni helped me understand my fears and how to avoid them”. Teenager Dimpho Vandale reflects, “I didn’t know what I must do [in those situations] before Entangeni.”
Alongside performance, the movement provides mentorship and healing spaces. Girls receive guidance on contraception, abortion rights, HIV prevention and mental health support.
The aim is that girls leave not only more knowledgeable, but more assertive. “There’s so many things [the girls] didn’t know about, especially about sexual and reproductive health and rights. We need to stop stigmatising certain conversations,” says Kana.
The girls agree. “We need support, not judgment. More people need to have someone to talk to, because some people have secrets that could kill them”, says teenager Mbsentle Siko.
High school learner Luhlelunje Ntshanka confirms that being part of a girls’ movement has made her more confident. “It has boosted my self-esteem, the way I see myself and the way I see things. I feel very confident nowadays, even in class when I’m asked questions”.
Looking ahead, the project will continue through 2025, with plans to expand its outreach to schools in Makana municipality. More ambitions are on the horizon: “We want to offer non-traditional sports,” says Gysman, saying her vision is recreational alternatives such as the development of parks, and introducing swimming lessons and football matches, that can provide safe, structured spaces for the girls to grow and thrive.
Nkwenkwezi Majavu is a matric learner in Makhanda.