South Africa
YAZINI - Sexualty and gender lifeskills program
Despite decades of progress, too many women are still silent victims of rape, domestic violence, assault, abuse, discrimination and their own fears. Youth for Christ/KwaZulu Natal (YfC/KZN), partner of Kindernothilfe in South Africa), aims to facilitate healthy behavioural changes through the empowerment of young people to make informed decisions (Project 72283/AA/12). The Yazini programme reaches 4.800 young people annually.
Picture: Krämer .
Violence and Sexual abuse
Thandi was raped by her former boy friend when she was a young girl. Desperate, scared and ashamed she withdrew from other people. She was scared of being condemned by her family, the community or the local church. Only when she was not able to hide the pregnancy any longer she spoke to a friend. A lot of girls suffer the same crucial fate. Many South African boys grow up with the belief that violence against women is a normal part of the relationship between men and women. Even some of the victims accept their fate as they are told by society that you cannot be raped by your partner. "We are told that men have the right to have sex whenever they want to and women don't have the choice to say ‘no', " explains Thandi.
Picture: Krämer
Youth for Christ/KwaZulu Natal aims to facilitate healthy behavioural changes through the empowerment of young people. Especially girls shall become more self-confident to be able to say "no" and to resist forced sexual intercourse. In the framework of the Yazini programme facilitators go into schools on a weekly basis and address young people in the classrooms. Through the "life skills programme", learners are encouraged to set up and run their own support groups and networks within the school. Leadership training is provided for those who head the groups and ongoing support from the Youth for Christ's staff is given. Yazini is currently operating in 16 schools around the Pietermaritzburg and Durban areas with a strong presence in disadvantaged communities.
The life skills lessons deal among other topics with issues such as personal development, gender roles, sexuality, birth control, violence, abuse, rape and HIV/AIDS. The participating boys and girls learn to deal with their own personalities and the values, norms and roles they have adopted by their parents and society. The participation of boys is especially impartial as they have to learn about women's right and need to start accepting them. Thandi also attended life skills lessons and has learnt that she is not responsible for the rape. Furthermore: during the lessons she realized that her new role as mother and the responsibility for her young daughter gives her strength and self-confidence. 
Picture: Krämer
HIV/AIDS is one part of the life skills lessons. Still many teenagers refuse to speak about the risks of infection. Awareness campaigns are omnipresent but many young people are weary of the current campaigns and reject to deal with the given informa-tion. Besides the general life skills lessons YfC/KZN provides an additional four-days-workshop on HIV/AIDS in schools. They make use of participatory methodological practices such as group work, role-plays, drama, various action-learning techniques and dance. A drama with music, dance, funny and serious sequences helps to reach the pupils. The children are actively involved and get the chance to speak about their own experiences and give each other advice. This workshop helps them to change their behaviour, to respect each other and take the risks of the fatal disease HIV serious.