BONUS - RUSTENBURG - Veronicca Molefe (28) leads a team of youthful professionals who provide sexual and reproductive health services to adolescent girls and young woman with Shout-It-Now.
She was also recently appointed as the second Deputy Chairperson on the South African National AIDS Council’s (SANAC) Health Professionals Civil Society Forum.
“In these two roles I support, advocate for and develop policies and programmes that address the unique challenges faced by young people in accessing sexual reproductive health (SRH) services in a non-judgmental and relatable environment - particularly preventative services that relate to unwanted pregnancy, HIV and abuse.”
The tragedy is that teenage girls in South Africa, and more particularly, girls growing up in impoverished circumstances, are at high risk of becoming pregnant and of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Young males too, are at risk of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, but not to the same extent.
South Africa has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the world. It was estimated that in the 2022/2023 financial year, 150000 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 fell pregnant - which means that at least 150 000 girls had unprotected sex. “There are free services like the HIV prevention pill, contraception and social services - specifically for the youth. Why are they not taking up these services? The harsh reality is that often these girls want access to these services, but are being met with judgement, scrutiny and shame. Youth-friendly spaces have become an urgent necessity, as well as service providers who understand the lifestyles and struggles of the youth and can serve without judgement.”
Shout-It-Now recruits its staff from the communities they serve, with more than 75% of staff being under the age of 35. They provide various sexual and reproductive information programmes and biomedical services, so regardless of a client’s lifestyle, whether they have made their sexual debut, are planning their sexual debut, abstaining from sex or have no choice due to abusive circumstances – nurses, social workers and healthcare providers serve them without judgement. “Our peer ambassadors who have been through our programmes and services welcome our clients to our mobile clinics, and every day we purposefully endeavour to create a space for open conversations. Clients have a choice of digital access to information, whether through our connect hub (call centre) or our social media platforms and we follow this tonality from digital to in-person consults.
SANAC’s national strategic plan 2023-2028 aims to reduce barriers to accessing health and social services and promotes a new and urgent focus to reduce inequalities for all people living with HIV, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infections, who are not benefiting from treatment and care services.
The SANAC agenda includes developing and delivering programmes and policies that are relevant and implementable on a wide scale within South Africa. This will only be possible through a collective effort from national, provincial and local government, relevant non-government organisations and other health sector organisations and the public.
“We need to face the realities as indicated in the statistics and shift stigma and gender norms, have a reality check and start having open conversations about sex and relationships in serving the youth instead of conforming to outdated, conservative beliefs. My goal is to play a role in ensuring that young people recognise that their health is their most valuable asset, and that they need to make every effort to safeguard it, accessing services and seeking help, staying informed, asking questions, and boldly reaching out for support. They have a right to know that their voices matter.”
