Empowering Adolescents and Youth: Unlocking Their Potential
At the Phawulethu Foundation, we understand the crucial importance of reaching young individuals early on in life. By instilling in them positive attitudes, values, and behaviors from an early age, we set the stage for a lifetime of well-being and success.
The youth are the driving force behind progress and transformation. By creating connections between young advocates and policymakers, we pave the way for the development of supportive policies that prioritize the health and rights of young people.
Forced early marriages and premature motherhood present formidable obstacles for young women and girls striving to live the lives they desire. We stand with these resilient individuals, supporting them in delaying their first pregnancies and spacing out subsequent births. In doing so, we promote the well-being of both mothers and children, while also advancing gender equality.
Our belief is that young people possess an innate understanding of what will propel them towards success. By partnering with them, we can collaboratively devise innovative approaches to address sexual and reproductive health, as well as promote behavior change. By fostering healthy habits and behaviors, we empower them to make informed choices for their own well-being.
We recognize that healthy gender norms are the cornerstone of thriving societies. To this end, we engage young men and boys, encouraging them to champion the autonomy and well-being of girls and women. By transforming harmful gender norms and behaviors, we work towards dismantling the barriers that hinder progress and impede gender equality.
Our Impactful Programs
The Phawulethu Foundation’s programs serve as a bedrock for building resilience and improving mental health among participants. Regardless of the specific program, our core content aims to foster self-esteem, equip individuals to make healthy decisions, and provide accurate information on human rights, sexual and reproductive health, gender equity, and HIV/AIDS.
One of our flagship initiatives, the Young Mother Program, takes a comprehensive approach to empower pregnant teenagers and adolescent mothers. By offering strategies and support tailored to their unique challenges, we address the emotional turmoil, educational setbacks, social isolation, and financial hardships they often face. Through this program, we empower young mothers to develop resilience, make informed choices, and forge a strong support network among their peers.
Over the course of a year-long journey, these vulnerable young mothers embark on a transformative path of self-discovery. Challenging their own beliefs, they cultivate self-worth, nurture critical thinking skills, and take courageous steps towards becoming the remarkable young women and mothers they aspire to be.
The program includes a range of valuable components, such as monthly training sessions, participant-led village support groups, individual psychosocial support sessions, the provision of essential baby care items, access to vital services and referrals (including health clinics and official identity documents), and even entrepreneurship training with startup funding opportunities for small businesses.