The champion for Adolescent and Youth Friendly Services (AYFS), Sister Zivumile Mdlalo, from Maxwele Clinic in Mthatha, said that AYFS had been launched with the aim of overcoming the challenges facing youth around that area. She said this programme is for youth from age 10 to 24.
“I started working here in 2019 and I have noticed that the youth in the area are facing lot of challenges and that is why I came up with this idea. The programmes that we have include sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy support, HIV, substance abuse, violence and sexual assault, healthy lifestyle and immunization,” said Mdlalo.
She confirmed that she first attended the workshop in March this year about AYFS and then implemented it with the stakeholders they are working with. She added that the stakeholders assisted her to ensure that the programme became a reality.
Mdlalo added that some of the challenges she was noticing was that every Monday, there were a lot of young people who usually come to ask help in the clinic due to different incidents which happened to them over the weekends.
“On Mondays, I no longer have lot of youth who come to do pregnancy tests for example.
“Now they are busy with youth zones and youth clubs that are specially designed for them, so that when they encounter these problems when the clinic is closed over the weekends, there is someone who is assigned to specially attend to them.”
The chairperson for Maxwele Clinic, Zandisile Nontsolo, said, “Our children are facing lot of challenges but by launching this programme we are sure that there will be a change. Also it will help to minimise the high rate of young people who decide to commit suicide when they are facing problems,” said Nontsolo.
One of the learners from Maxwele Senior Secondary School, Sindile Maxwele (18), said they would use the opportunity granted by the clinic.
“I also appeal to my age group to concentrate on their studies so that they can have a bright future. Let us not waste the opportunity that we are given by our parents and the society,” said Maxwele.
