South African schools embark on the FutureLife-Now! adventure | FutureLife-Now! introduces learners to health and climate change, two important programme themes

Posted by Khanyi Khuzwayo on 25 September 2024, 15:05 SAST

Originally piloted in four Member States (Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe), FutureLifeNow! was launched in South Africa in 2023. Through it, learners in the FutureLifeNow! schools in South Africa have been exposed to a variety of the programme’s themes, including sexual and reproductive health and rights and climate change awareness and its effects.

The programme’s target audience are primary and secondary schools learners, including girls and boys who are going through puberty—an exciting time for them, but one that is also fraught with mystery and misconception.

Puberty is one of the most interesting stages that young people go through. It marks the transition from childhood to young adulthood and brings a range of emotions, such as sadness, embarrassment, excitement, and confusion. – Andile Gininda, MIET AFRICA youth facilitator

So in the last few months, MIET AFRICA’s youth facilitators, through a UNICEF-supported programme, have conducted sexual and reproductive health lessons in FutureLife-Now! schools. For example, at Khombindlela High School, located in a remote part of the King Cetshwayo District, nurses from a local NGO, keReady Team, collaborated with the FutureLife-Now! team to facilitate a session on Understanding the Human Body and the changes boys and girls experience during puberty. Sessions run in schools included topics such as the physical changes adolescents’ bodies go through, for example breast development, as well as the onset of the menstrual cycle.

Raising awareness about menstrual health management is critical for fostering dignity and empowerment among girls and young women; but it is something important for boys to know about too, as they can be encouraged to support their female peers. As Andile Gininda noted, Boys are included so that they learn to respect what girls go through, shaping them into caring men as they grow up. It was exciting to see them participate and ask questions.

Another important theme of FutureLife-Now! is climate change, which includes raising awareness among young learners about the issue, as well as the role each person plays in mitigating its effects. Learners come to appreciate that recycling helps to keep our surroundings clean and fosters a healthier, more sustainable world for all. As part of these efforts, MIET AFRICA’s team arranged for the Umhlathuze Municipality Waste Management Team to visit two remote schools, Ingweni Primary in the Ngwelezane area and Qhakaza High in the King Cetshwayo District (both in deep rural areas of the KwaZulu-Natal Province), with the aim of educating learners about the harmful effects of littering and the benefits that recycling will confer on their communities. Learners were taught that littering not only makes their area look untidy but also harms the environment. They now understand the importance of recycling and know how to encourage others to recycle in their homes and communities.

Learners were taught that littering not only makes their area look untidy but also harms the environment. They now understand the importance of recycling and know how to encourage others to recycle in their homes and communities.” Andile Gininda