South Africa

Despite the end of apartheid in 1994, when South Africa held its first democratic elections, many South African women and youth continue to face social and health barriers to becoming full participants in the development of their communities. Rates of domestic violence and sexual assault are high. Almost 18 percent of South Africans have HIV or AIDS.

Against this background, CEDPA has worked in South Africa since 1995 through partnerships with women and youth in education, health and legal areas—working together to build a stronger, healthier South Africa. With HIV infection rates highest among young adults, and more than half of South Africa’s population under the age of 25, a particular focus for CEDPA has been empowering youth with education and knowledge to fight AIDS.

Today, CEDPA leads the community-based Towards a Better Future: Improving Educational and Health Outcomes for Young Girls in Southern Africa. This non-formal education pilot program in southern Africa was adapted from CEDPA’s Choose a Future! program, which has been implemented worldwide.

Through local partners, the program reached 2,000 adolescent girls in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland through an integrated framework of life skills education. It built self esteem in young people through supportive peer relationships, skills in decision-making, problem-solving and negotiating, and information to support personal health and well-being.

CEDPA’s program also built family and community support for girls’ education. It was also implemented and designed hand-in-hand with local partners, building the capacity of communities to meet the educational challenge of their next generation of leaders.

To continue building community support, CEDPA has adopted the Choose a Future! program for adolescent boys in southern Africa. This pilot program will involve 800 boys from Swaziland and Zambia. The program will work to facilitate changed behaviors and attitudes towards education and health practices.

In addition to country programming, CEDPA’s worldwide training programs have graduated over 150 South African women and men. These leaders are now working in local, national and international organizations and government agencies to advocate for and promote women’s rights and youth development.