Overview
Woza Moya works with young people in the community, as important drivers, in creating positive, equitable and sustainable change. We see a world where young people, both in- and out-of-school, in the Ufafa Valley community, are empowered to achieve their full potential; a community where youth make healthy lifestyle choices as a result of emotional and cognitive development and support. We see adolescent girls and boys avoiding risky behaviour as they transition to adulthood, and dealing with accompanying challenges in a positive manner; youth who excel in homework, make informed career choices, are prepared for the job market, and who can enter formal employment confident with appropriate knowledge and skills.
The main focus of the Ufafa Youth Development Programme is strengthening young girls’ and boys’ lived experience and responses to HIV and related socio-economic drivers, through the development of self-reflection, self-reliance, and resilience that contribute towards meaningful, healthy, and financially independent lives. We influence young people’s behaviours by sharing empowering life-skills tools and information that help them respond positively to critical health and lifestyle issues, and prepares them for the job market.
The Woza Moya Youth Development programme address the agency and behaviour involving life-skills, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and computer skills of 800 youth in the Ufafa Valley. Through this it provides youth with practical skills towards economic participation and taking up leadership positions in society.
AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMME
The After-School Programme runs formally 3 afternoons per week, with a focus on soft-skills, access to educational resources, and basic computer training to foster positive life choices and preparation for the job market. Over 100 local children between the ages of 6-18 years, rotate between doing Life-skills, Library and Computers. The Library and Computer Centre facilities are also open and available daily from 9am to 4pm, 2pm on Fridays for the community members to access.
1. LIFESKILLS PROGRAMME
Topics range widely from creative activities and games, song, dance, HIV, teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, sexual reproductive health (SRH), conflict resolution,
2. LIBRARY
The Woza Moya Library originally set up by very dedicated American volunteer Jackie Hall, consists of almost 2000, and mostly donated books. Jackie introduced the Decimal Dewy System. Being the first library in Ufafa, Jackie saw that children needed to be taught the basics, like how to wash their hands before touching books, how to turn pages, borrow books. The Library also has puzzles, games, CDs, all available on loan.
3. COMPUTER CENTRE
The Computer Centre is fitted with 12 Raspberry Pi PCs with LCD screens and wired keyboards and mice, and one Server as the Educator PC, and to drive the network of educational materials, RACHEL. The server has 500,000 educational files available. Managing the usage of this facility has proven to relatively easy, due to their being no internet access; only access to educational resources.
SOCCER AND NETBALL TRAINING CLUBS
Soccer and Netball Training Clubs take place on Fridays. This provides opportunity to learn about and put into practice team work, self-discipline, as well as building self-esteem and perseverance. The clubs provide a fun, healthy, and safe space in an area where there are no other formal nurturing extracurricular opportunities. This also provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships with young people. The weekly clubs culminate in quarterly play-offs with teams from other areas. During play-offs many more young people attend as spectators, providing an opportunity to invite them to other activities where they can receive more education around HIV and SRH.
TALENT CONTESTS
Quarterly youth Talent Contests include a festival of music, poetry, and dance for young people that prefer artistic expression. Again, the large numbers of spectators generate the same space to ‘hook’ more youth into attending the After-School Programme. Check out some of these amazing events and the incredible talent of young people in Ufafa on our WozaMoyaIxopo YouTube channel
OBJECTIVES
· To increase the knowledge on soft-skills, including HIV, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), decision-making, and self-knowledge of 800 youth in the Ufafa Valley.
· To provide emotional support to 800 youth in the Ufafa Valley.
· To test the provision of accredited training to youth on Microsoft products making use of an external service provider.
· To explore MICT SETA accreditation as training service provider on Microsoft products.
ACCREDITED COMPUTER TRAINING
This is a new component that we wish to explore following feedback from youth who participate in our activities. Initially we will pilot such training making use of an accredited external service provider. This would involve converting our computer centre from open source software focused on coding, to hardware and software that is Microsoft compatible. At the same time exploring MICT SETA accreditation to become a training service provider for Microsoft products.
PowerGirls
The PowerGirls is a 7 year programme that is funded by the MAMAS Alliance to empower vulnerable girls to become great young women, outspoken and capable of becoming positive agents of change within their communities. Every Friday the girls come on site for their sessions.
Good Guys Club
Gender based violence and sexual abuse are at high levels in Ufafa, with many men (and women) assuming that this is ‘normal’ behaviour. In response to this situation we have introduced Woza Moya to a new programme called Good Guys Club in AUGUST 2020, working with 45 local boys between the ages of 9-17 years with an intention of raising these young boys into better men of tomorrow.
Arts Centre
The Woza Moya Arts Centre is a safe, fun, well managed space for vulnerable children (and adults) to explore their creativity and heal. The art and crafts programme is offered as part of the existing programmes and wellness groups on site at Woza Moya. This is purely for creative exploration and expression in class with no expectation of homework or marketable products. However, each participant is given a craft bag (produced by our craft project) with art supplies to use at their leisure outside of class. They can share that in class if they choose.