Two years after the 2019 launch of the FutureLife-Now! programme in Lesotho, the time had arrived for a formal reflection. Produced at the end of 2021, the aim of the reports from all 10 outreach schools was to reflect on the objectives that the FutureLife-Now! programme had met in relation to its goal of reducing new HIV infections and increasing adherence to ART amongst youth in the SADC Region.

The reports from all ten outreach schools stated that through the availability of e-platforms in schools (laptops, screens and projectors) learners have become acquainted with different virtual platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, which were mostly used for interschool webinar dialogues in order to discuss an array of topics.

“Students showed confidence and learned a lot from their counterparts,” said Victoria Kente, principal of St Saviours High School. “This sparked excitement amongst learners and later, they all wanted to be part of the discussions.”

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Of the many exciting activities supported by FutureLife-Now! at Naboye Secondary School in Zambia’s Kafue district, the production unit is one of the programmes that has grown in leaps and bounds.

The production unit of the 53-year-old school undertakes farming projects to help the school raise finances. The unit aims to develop farming skills in the learners which eventually result in a supply of fresh produce.

FutureLife-Now! has been active at Naboye since 2020 and learners have been actively involved in the many projects that fall under the production unit. “Working with learners has been the most interesting thing when it comes to the school’s production unit,” says Alice Kaunga, the school’s FutureLife-Now! focal person. “The interest shown by the learners in the production unit has been so impressive that it has attracted even those learners who were initially not interested in coming on board.”

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Since its adoption by SADC Ministers of Education in 2008, the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Framework has been instituted within the South African Department of Basic Education as a guide for mainstreaming care and support. An evaluation of CSTL was planned for 2019/2020, but with the advent of the coronavirus in early 2020, this was not possible. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and related government lockdowns have resulted in numerous consequences for the education sector and the children it serves. It was thus determined necessary to conduct a rapid evaluation of CSTL implementation in schools, to determine how schools have coped during the COVID-19 period. 

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MIET AFRICA, in partnership with the Department of Basic Education in South Africa, the National Education Collaboration Trust, and UNICEF South Africa hosted the second national Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Conference from 24 – 26 November 2021. Under the theme of ‘Reimagining Care and Support Taking Stock: Education Recovery and Continuity’, the conference brought together sector stakeholders and partners into dialogue on the collaboration between government and its non-government partners necessary for delivering on the national care and support mandate in the country.

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Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services are critical to the health and wellbeing of adolescents and young people. When access to CSE and SRHR services are restricted, the consequences are detrimental, especially for girls’ health and rights.

The past two years of school disruptions and COVID-19 lockdowns demonstrate this phenomenon, as the region is witnessing rising numbers of adolescent girls and young women who have become pregnant during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Such stories demand heightened attention to ensuring adolescents and young people have access to CSE and SRHR services and support, especially during emergencies.

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A shortage of desks posed a challenge for Chibombo Boarding Secondary School – especially in light of COVID-19 and the need to social distance. The school reached out to the FutureLife-Now! Programme for assistance. But the request was not for ready-made desks. Instead, it was for wood, metal and paint – the materials needed to build their own desks.

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What do you do when over 50 learners need bursaries and there is only enough funding for 20% of them? If you are a learner at Umbwi Secondary School based in Dedza, Malawi, you start a poultry farming project to raise the necessary funds.

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It was a brave young girl named Shannel Dhiriza who prompted learners at Murape Secondary School to start the “Roses of Hope-Murape” club. The purpose of the club is to fundraise for vulnerable learners at the school who need a helping hand.

....... It Takes a Village: FutureLife-Now! peer educators hand over groceries to Shannel and her mother

It is estimated that 8 800 children lose one or both parents, or their primary caregiver, every year in Zimbabwe1. This has led to many child- and youth-headed households, where young people are left to live alone and look after themselves. However, without an economically active adult, these children face overwhelming challenges.

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“As a young man I commit to never laugh at any of the girls when they have problems but instead to help them.”

“As a young man I commit never to disrespect old people and girls.”

These are just two examples of the pledges made by the male learners at Matholeng High School in Lesotho on 18 and 19 September, 2021, at the conclusion of a boys’ vulnerability dialogue, organized by FutureLife-Now!, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training.

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Are you part of the school management of a South African school?  MIET AFRICA and NECT are assisting the Department of Basic Education in a rapid assessment of the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) programme in South Africa. Data from this rapid assessment will be shared at the CSTL National Conference at the end of November. We invite principals, deputy principals, or chairpersons of school-based support teams to complete an online survey. The purpose of this survey is to find out from schools in South Africa how CSTL is being implemented in their schools and how schools have adapted under the COVID-19 conditions. The questionnaire focuses on the 10 pillars of CSTL, and the support structures and process that may be active at the school. Click here to access the survey. https://forms.gle/fcu8VQpvia8ThCNLA

Please take some time to participate in this important rapid assessment that will inform the Department of Basic Education and its non-governmental partners in how to better support schools in fulfilling their care and support mandate. Survey closes 12 November.

The National Care and Support for Teaching and Learning Conference will be hosted on the 24-26 November 2021. Find more information here.

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