Connecting youth with opportunities to transform their lives

By: Tsakisi Muhlari

Twitter: @Queentsakiey

Email: tsakisi200@gmail.com

Ikusasalethu workers getting the gits ready Image by: Tsakisi Muhlari

Iyanda organisation led by women from different maiden’s groups namely Lesedi Yetigabisa, Khethubuhle Africa and Amakhosazana Esizwe hosted a healthy talk with the youth on the 11^th of September at Hammarskraal.

Healthy talk is an avenue to provide the youth with information, creating awareness on abuse, substance, and hygiene to the maidens so that they are proud of their bodies and are able to make informed choices in life.

 Image showing maidens holding gifts Photograph by:Tsakisi Muhlari 

According to the founder of Lesedi Yetigabisa and healthy talk organiser, Nozipho Lelahane, she saw that when she attended events of maidens there’s a gap, older women only concentrate in inspection, guidance and singing but they don’t engage with the maidens about taking care of themselves and how to overcome challenges outside.

“Today the event was all about that. They have learnt a lot of things on drugs, others don’t know about them, and they were interesting. They learnt about taking care of themselves, abuse and about when a person touches your certain parts it’s not allowed and it’s not right you can report it,” Nozipho explained.

Another topic discussed was sexual offences crime, which is one thing that scares maidens because it’s a risk and maidens think that everyone is targeting them. Nozipho added, “You know there is a saying that when you find a virgin there’s a lot that they do with them, others use them to get medicines it's very scary.”

    A video of workers who made this event possible                         

Nozipho said they always encourage children positively that no matter what happens outside God is always there and if they take care of themselves and control themselves everything will go well.

Ikusasalethu is a group of people who are willing to develop young people to be better people. Especially women,Young people they teach them how to take care of themselves and how they should be in their character.

Siyabonga Ngidi Ikusasalethu youth development PRO gave a statement on how they work to help these young maidens, “What we encourage as a group is we go seeking for gifts from other companies, whatever gifts we can get we come back and see what we give to our young people. What inspires us the most is being organised and lead by example.”

Maidens get to learn a lot today especially on substance abuse on how much damage it causes on someone’s body and what to do when you find yourself in a situation of being raped.

Lesedi Yetigabisa maidens singing songs Image by:Tsakisi Muhlari

Oluhle Dlamini a group member of Lesedi Yetigabisa said, “Today at this health talk I learnt that no matter what other people say about your virginity as long as you become stronger about your virginity nobody can defeat you, nothing can defeat you because you have more power.”

The biggest lesson taught today is to know children better and to talk to them openly. As a parent one might think that they are in control of their child but later find out that the influence of friends is bigger than theirs.

Below Nozipho Lelahane healthy talk organiser explains how she was able to gather the youth to be taught about different themes of what the event was about.

Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: Connecting youth with opportunities. https://soundcloud.com/tsakisi-tsakisi?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing