Youth in Action addresses issues affecting Etwatwa youth
The organisation focuses on issues affecting the ‘girl child’
Deputy chairperson Bridget Madinda of The Youth in Action NPO said despite young people in Etwatwa finding themselves in an economic and social pool of despair, they hope their organisation’s hands-on-deck approach will help bring a positive aura to the community.
She was speaking at the NPO launch on June 16.
Madinda said they aim to fight issues such as substance abuse and crime.
“We noticed that there’s a lot of young people here in Etwatwa dealing in drugs. While most want to stop, it’s difficult because they don’t know where to start. So as the Youth in Action, we want to help them,” she said.
According to Madinda, while fighting substance abuse is at the core of their programme, they also aim to focus on issues affecting the ‘girl child’.
“Many girls in Etwatwa and the country in general often skip school when they are on their periods. One of our drives is to help them with sanitary towels because period pains shouldn’t prevent them from accessing education.”
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At the launch, the Ekurhuleni Givers organisation donated sanitary towels while SANCA officials and social workers were present to address the youth on issues related to substance abuse and crime.
Madinda said they will hand out the sanitary towels to primary school girls in the area. She revealed that the organisation’s soup kitchen will provide meals to needy families.
She added that they hope to change the youth of Etwatwa’s perception of life as they lived for the moment while forgetting about the future.
“We want to keep the youth and children engaged in extra-mural activities to keep them away from substances and crime.
“We’ve noticed that there’s a lot of talent in the community. We want to provide art classes such as dance, drama and drawing to nurture their talent. We will also offer tutoring to help with homework.
“We want to positively change the community. With the grace of the Lord, we hope our work will inspire young people in other areas too.”
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