Pretoria: The Department of Social Development is conducting nationwide oversight visits to community-based organisations funded to provide social development services across South Africa. These visits are part of ongoing efforts to enhance the capacity of non-governmental organisations that deliver essential services to communities.
According to South African Government News Agency, these initiatives include providing psychosocial support to vulnerable children and families, and addressing issues such as HIV prevention and teenage pregnancies among young people. The department emphasized that South Africa remains the epicentre of the HIV epidemic, necessitating a strong focus on preventing new infections, particularly among the youth.
As a key department in the HIV and AIDS response, Social Development has developed a compendium of social and behaviour change programmes aimed at reducing new HIV infections and mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on communities. This compendium includes programmes like You Only Live Once (YOLO), ChommY, Boys Championing Change, Men Championing Change, Family's Matter, and the Rock Leadership programme, which targets traditional leaders.
Recently, the department visited Brother Services Community Development in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga. This organisation received funding to prevent new HIV infections, protect children, and address teenage pregnancies in Lillydale and surrounding communities. With a staff of 23 and reaching over 5000 beneficiaries, the organisation plans to expand its services by collaborating with local schools.
A 2022 report by the Department of Health highlighted that young girls in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga are particularly vulnerable to teenage pregnancies, presenting long-term socio-economic challenges. Such challenges include health risks for young mothers and their babies, perpetuation of intergenerational poverty, and the spread of HIV infections.
Social and behaviour change programmes are integral to the National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs (2023-2028), focusing on reinforcing protective sexual behaviours by addressing knowledge, attitudes, skills, and social norms.
In Limpopo, Deputy Minister of Social Development Ganief Hendricks visited Nhlayiso Community Health Drop-in Centre, which provides care and support services to individuals living with HIV and AIDS, and psychosocial support to orphans and vulnerable children in Greater Tzaneen, Mopani District. The organisation collaborates with local schools and health facilities to prevent teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, and substance abuse.
The department noted that one of the organisation's successes is providing job opportunities for unemployed social service professionals, including social work graduates and child care workers.
Continuing its developmental mandate, the department will maintain oversight visits to funded community-based organisations to monitor the effectiveness of social and behaviour change programmes, particularly those targeting children and young people.