Exciting news for the FutureLife-Now! community and all those with a stake in gender equality in the education sector! At their annual meeting held this year in June in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers of Education adopted the SADC Boys’ and Young Men’s Vulnerability Framework as an addendum to the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning Policy Framework (CSTL PF).
The Boys’ and Young Men’s Vulnerability Framework is a comprehensive planning framework that supports the Member States of SADC to implement interventions to achieve gender equality through the provision of prevention, protection and support services for boys and young men. Its development was informed by a regional study on boys’ vulnerability that was commissioned in 2019. The study found that there is an urgent need to strengthen the engagement of boys and young men to support gender equality and female empowerment, as well as to address their own specific social, emotional and development needs.
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Autone Mululuma, a young man growing up in a peri-urban area in the Chimbombo District in the Central Province in Zambia, faced a problem. In the community where he lives, many of the young people, both males and females, are disaffected and have little opportunity for passing their free time productively. As a result, many indulge in illicit activities and destructive behaviour. But Autone wanted more for himself. He sought for a skill that could empower him, while delivering him from the temptations his peers were falling prey to. But his aspirations seemed farfetched and likely to fail: at the time, there seemed to be no programmes in schools aimed at empowering young people with entrepreneurial skills.
Fortunately for Autone, he was a learner at Moomba Boarding Secondary School, where he encountered the FutureLife-Now! Programme. The programme provided Moomba with a hundred chicks and Autone expressed an interest in working with them. He watched and learnt as the chicks matured to fully-grown chickens. Autone was “hooked”, and having gained experience working with the chicks, he decided to replicate the rearing of poultry in his community. Autone describes what happened next.
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The head of Fort Rixon School, Lawrence Sibanda, welcoming guests to the fare
Fort Rixon Secondary School in Zimbabwe provides just one example of how FutureLife-Now! has impacted a school and its community. Through the programme, much has changed for the better at the school. In the words of the school head, Lawrence Sibanda:
The implementation of the FutureLife-Now! programme has helped the school to work harmoniously with partners in improving the health of learners and community members through the services being offered by different partners.
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Participants at the training
MIET AFRICA’s partnership with UNESCO is resulting in fruitful collaborations, including the participation of FutureLife-Now! in the capacity training UNESCO provided in Lesotho on its Connect with Respect initiative. UNESCO conducted the training for Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) officials in Maseru from 10 to 14 July, with the FutureLife-Now! in-country teams from Lesotho and Malawi also attending (as did the youth development manager and the regional technical assistant). South Africa’s Department of Basic Education, which has recently joined Phase 2 of the FutureLife-Now! Programme, also sent two officials to participate.
UNESCO believes that schools, and the learning processes they provide, afford an ideal and unique opportunity to deliver interventions that prevent violence, in particular gender-based violence (GBV), which is all too common in schools and societies across the world. Its Connect with Respect: preventing gender-based violence in schools, which is a “classroom programme for learners in upper primary and early secondary school (ages 12-15)”, is one such intervention. The MoET sees the programme’s classroom approach as the perfect tool for addressing school-related GBV.
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CSE Workshop participants sharing their reflections on CSE
Young Africans must have the facts and confidence to stay safe and healthy, live a dignified life and contribute positively to their community and countries. Prof Mbulelo Dyasi (Bishop, and Vice Chair, Board of Directors, INERELA)
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Subtopic: A Systemic Approach to Strengthen Mental Health & Psychosocial Support for Resilient Teachers and Learners in Africa
Join a webinar discussion to deliberate on systemic approaches and promising practices to strengthen Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) interventions for teachers in Africa in achieving learning outcomes.
Organized jointly with the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa, the webinar will 1) present the key issues impacting teacher mental health and wellbeing 2) share national and regional interventions on MHPSS for teachers; and 3) identify strategies to create linkages with various stakeholders.
Date: Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023
Time: 15:00-17:00hrs (East Africa Time)
Click on the Zoom link to join the webinar: https://unesco-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIofu-vqz8pGtHfzgWPHJ_pcE24epqKgsXl
Duration: 2 hours
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As FutureLife-Now! continues to expand its reach and impact, it remains dedicated to empowering Zambia’s youth and ensuring a healthier and brighter future for all.
The FutureLife-Now! Programme in Zambia recently participated in the 2023 International Trade Fair (ITF). This high-profile event provided an excellent opportunity to promote the Programme and showcase its commitment to the well-being and empowerment of Zambia’s youth. Through networking, new partnerships were established, with the aim of raising awareness about crucial health and wellness issues and the empowerment of the next generation of youth.
This annual event, which draws many dignitaries, was held from 26 June to 2 July 2023, under the theme, “Stimulating Economic Development Through Partnerships, Trade and Investment”.
Visitors to the exhibition stand
FutureLife-Now! has a strong partnership with the Zambian Ministry of Health. “During the event, we proudly shared our collaboration with the Ministry of Health to strengthen healthcare for adolescents. President Hakainde Hichilema visited our stand and expressed his satisfaction with this partnership,” said Country Coordinator in Zambia for FutureLife-Now! Charity Banda. She explained that this critical alliance ensures that the Programme can make a significant impact on the health and well-being of Zambia’s youth.
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“Voices of the youth”: a learner presenting at the launch
South Africa’s Department of Basic Education (DBE), in partnership with MIET AFRICA, UNICEF South Africa and the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), recently launched two youth empowerment initiatives in Pretoria. These two programmes—the Southern African Development Community (SADC) FutureLife-Now! Programme and the Ubuntu Youth Leaders Movement—contribute to the Department’s Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Framework and the SADC Child and Youth Agency Framework (CYAF).
Following a successful first phase (2019–23) implemented in Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, South Africa now joins the second phase of FutureLife-Now! (2023–26), which sees a scale-up of FutureLife-Now! to additional Member States in the SADC Region. For South Africa, FutureLife-Now! contributes to building the human capital of the country’s approximately 22 million young people by empowering them to be responsible, actively engaged citizens who lead responses to 21st century development challenges, specifically those related to health, gender inequality and climate change.
Initially, the DBE will pilot a contextualised FutureLife-Now! package of support in 10 secondary schools, commencing in June this year. Following the pilot, the Department will roll out the tested package across the country.
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Trainees and trainers taking a selfie!
The first phase of FutureLife-Now! is drawing to an end. Phase 2, which will commence in July this year, will build on the youth agency and leadership work commenced in Phase 1. Phase 2 will introduce new and innovative interventions in the 10 schools in Zimbabwe; these will be scaled up over time to the additional 30 schools to be added to the programme. One of the new elements that aims to develop youth leadership for service among young people in our communities is the Ubuntu Youth Leaders’ Programme, run in partnership with Instituto Padre António Vieira (IPAV).
“Ubuntu is about a community coming together to help one another.” Paul Anthony Pierce (Former American professional basketball player)
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In Zambia, sexual and reproductive health topics are seldom discussed in family settings. Speaking openly about sexuality and sexual relationships is considered taboo in most Zambian communities. As a result, family members and teachers rarely have conversations on these topics, leading to low levels of knowledge about HIV and certain aspects of sexuality.
With this in mind, the FutureLife-Now! Programme in Zambia held a comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) workshop in April 2023 at David Ramushu Secondary School. The event was attended by 37 stakeholders, ranging from teachers, parents, councillors, nurses and district officials to youth facilitators. Recognising its importance, Ntinga Remnant, the District Education Guidance Coordinator noted that “our culture considers sexual and reproductive health as a taboo and this training should equip teachers and parents with skills and knowledge to solve this conflict between CSE and tradition.”
Participants brainstorming in groups
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