Zanele Mbambo

Age: 14

Gender: Female

My youth club experience:

At Life Skills, I learned how to take care of my community by keeping it clean as well as how to take care of those I live with. Life skills made me realise the importance of Human Rights because if a person says “NO” that right must be understood and respected.

FLEP made me realise that planning for a business is very important because you need money to buy all the things you will need for the business. In business you need to understand that there are ups and downs. We were also taught about making a profit as well as that every business has good and bad days.

Rashel Silindo

Age: 13

Gender: Female

My youth club experience:

At Sizanani, they help us learn about ourselves and others. They help us improve our communication skills and they help us learn about our genders. I have also learned about how I can help my community. The things that I enjoy at the Youth Club are: singing, communication, eating, acting, learning, gaining skills and knowledge and I also enjoy answering the questions

Sizanani builds my confidence and helps to improve my self-esteem. It empowers me with the ability to encourage other people. I can now show love, care and support to other people. It provides me with food and it makes me gain and develop other skills.

Phumzile Klaas

Age: 14

Gender: Female

My youth club experience:

I have learned that if someone is sexually abused, that person must not be scared to tell someone they trust about it, because if they don’t talk then this problem will eat them up inside everyday of their life and it will affect their studies. That person will be moody and they will not treat other people well because they will constantly be thinking about the person who abused them.

Patricia Nkosi

Age: 15

Gender: Female

My youth club experience:

I learned about the differences between the old youth and the current youth and now things have changed a lot. The current youth is not utilising their freedom in the right way, instead they use it in an unruly manner, and they also cannot face reality.

The old youth fought for their liberation and faced the challenges, they also dealt with the consequences. They knew what they wanted and they didn’t take it for granted and they faced reality. Today’s youth only knows about today’s technology and they don’t know what reality is. There are very few of them who really know what they want in life.

Nhlanhla Maoahloli

Age: 15

Gender: Male

My youth club experience:

Since I have been on this journey with Sizanani, I have learnt a lot from them. The Vochellis are understanding and encouraging, even when we are not sure of the answers they help us along because they see that we are trying.

Sizanani Vochellis are the best that I have ever met. They treat us well and they are not judgemental and I like them a lot. This journey with Sizanani is an awesome and encouraging journey that I have experienced.

Vochelli Adolf is my number 1, followed by Vochelli Dennis and Vochelli Mpho, they are so funny. This journey has taught me not to judge people because life is tough.

Thank you to all Sizanani Vochellis. I wish you all the best.

Matshepo Sekgobela

Age: 13

Gender: Female

My youth club experience:

What I enjoy about Sizanani is Imbokodo because it teaches us about our gender and it helps us understand our gender and relationships. It also helps us understand the difference between Healthy and Unhealthy relationships. They allow us to have open discussions with girls who want to talk or know about anything.

Imbokodo helps us or shows us how to use condoms. It helps us understand more about ourselves, our bodies and how to carry ourselves. It helps us understand other people and working in a team. It gives us confidence and builds our self-esteem.

Sizanani provides us with food after learning because they may think that some of the kids may not have food. My favourite parts of the Youth Club are singing, eating, playing with others, learning, acting and communicating with others.

Amahle Rose

Age: 15

Gender: Female

My youth club experience:

I have learned how to use a condom, this has really helped me in a way that if I am sexually active I would know how to use protection.

I have learned about teenage pregnancy and drug addiction. I have also learnt that in order to protect myself teenage pregnancy, one must prevent or use condoms, as well as that drugs are not a solution to ones problems-there are people that you can talk to should you need help.

We are also taught that love is not only between a boyfriend and girlfriend, but between a parents and their children, grandparents and grandchildren and other people you feel connected to.

In FLEP we are taught how to budget, how to use money wisely and how to start our own businesses. We also learned about the different places where one can borrow money-some examples are: banks; mashonisa and stokvels.

Bontle Lubelo

Age: 15

Gender: Female

My youth club experience:

In IMBOKODO we were taught protect ourselves from teenage pregnancy and that when a teenager is at puberty stage, they must bath or shower. We were also taught that if a person has pimples, they should not eat sweets and fatty foods, because that will damage their skin even further. In life skills I learnt how to protect myself from diseases and that I must use protection in order to avoid getting HIV and AIDS.

I have also learnt how to care for my community, how to respect others and to have love towards other people. I am happy that my little sister will also get to learn the things that I too learn at Sizanani.

We were also taught that when we have problems at home, we must find someone that we trust and talk to them and maybe that person can help me deal with the situation.