Girls’ one-stop point of service
Project helps teens deal with rape, pregnancy and AIDS by offering safe space for counselling and empowerment
‘IWAS almost raped last year at my home. It was a really tough time and I became depressed,” the adolescent girl said, holding back tears.
“I have no parents… my mother died after my birth. I don’t know my father and live with my grandmother,” another teen added.
“I was raised by my aunt and uncle after my mother died from HIV. My dad is also dead.,” said another.
One by one, teenage girls from Soweto shared stories of their lives – most having gone through what many people only have to deal with in adulthood or never at all in their lifetimes: poverty, violence, hunger and death.
“Determined, resilient, empowered, Aids-free, mentored, safe,” the girls chanted in unison, standing in a semi-circle inside the newlybuilt Choma Dreams Café in Kliptown, Soweto.
The café has since become their “safe space”. It is an innovative project targeting young women and girls in the area to address social issues that often plague the community, such as HIV, teen sex and pregnancy.
The event was hosted by the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project and HIVSA, one of its community-based partners. Theron, a South African-born internationally acclaimed actress and UN peace ambassador, hosted media at the cafe this week, much to the delight of the young girls who hugged and swooned over the star, lapping up her words of encouragement and support.
“I’m always touched to hear these girls being as honest and raw and willing to share their stories… We can all find something we can relate to in their stories. You guys are incredibly inspiring to me,” she said.
The project consists of a mobile pink lab with six internet-connected laptops, where the girls can do research, are counselled on HIV prevention, are helped with homework and are provided with a safe space for them to share their challenges and struggles.
It was recently reported by Statistics SA that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa increased from 4.3 million in 2002 to 7.1 million by 2016.
It was also revealed that about one-fifth of South African women in their reproductive ages were Hiv-positive.
But it’s one thing targeting young girls when responsibility for the taboo lies largely with the elders in their homes and communities.
Asked whether there were initiatives to try to get parents to better understand the issues and talk to their teens, Theron agreed that was also necessary.
“If you can get teens to inspire their parents to talk openly, we can start parenting groups. You can’t compartmentalise HIV or rape, or teen pregnancy – they’re all intertwined.”.
Through the café, the girls have 16 sessions which include grief and trauma counselling and decision-making and entrepreneurship classes.
The project is implemented by the NGO, HIVSA, and funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief and CTAOP through the DREAMS Innovation Challenge.
The chief executive of HIVSA, Jeann Armstrong, said she felt like “pinching myself” at the realisation of the dream to have the café built, a process which started 18 months ago.
“To impact (on) young women and to empower them to be the Hiv-free future, we needed to think differently about how we approach and engage, which is where the idea of Choma and the Choma Dreams Café was born.
“So far, we have seen some great progress as girls have embraced the Choma Dreams Café as a safe and empowering space.”
Theron added: “No one walks on this earth without a challenge… I find this more as I go.
“The idea that an African child should dream smaller than an American white child is wrong... it’s really about knowing your value.
“Listening to the youth and seeing the amazing work they are doing in their own communities inspires me and gives me confidence that the future is bright and that we need to invest more in health and support systems for young people,” said Theron.