Children as 'Agents of Change' in South Africa

We know it can be difficult to shift the behaviour patterns of adults. In view of this, Soul City, a non profit health and development communication organisation based in Johannesburg, has been working with children aged 8 - 14 to raise awareness of issues affecting their health and development.

 

Through the Soul Buddyz programme , children are encouraged children to be ‘agents of change’ in their own environment and in all settings, including school and home. It has four interlinked elements:

•  A TV show shown on National TV which addresses Soul City campaign issues (e.g. HIV/Aids, alcohol, violence, sexual health). [This is ‘Edutainment’ – entertainment with an educational message].
• Printed Materials (e.g. magazines, educational resources)
• Radio shows
• Soul Buddyz Clubs
I was keen to learn more about the Soul Buddyz clubs as it sounded like Soul Buddyz could be Community Health Champions in the making! 



Mural on the school wall painted by the school children.



There are over 8000 Soul Buddyz clubs in primary schools across South Africa with a total of 178,422 members. Around 50% of the clubs are in rural areas, 20% are in townships and a further 20% are in urban areas. Each individual club has up to 25 members and so some schools have more than one club (one school has 8!!). Clubs meet once a week after school and are facilitated by a teacher, who Soul City provide with relevant training. Soul City also provides the materials (magazines, DVDs, education unit guides) for the clubs to use and keeps a database of all members so they can keep in touch.

I heard about some great examples of projects the clubs are undertaking to influence change in their communities by helping both individuals and the community as a whole. Here are just a few:

1)       In one area, a busy road next to the school was resulting in many children being injured or killed. The Soul Buddyz met with local councillors to explain the problem and discuss what could be done. As a result of this action, there are now speed bumps along the road and the number of injuries has reduced.

2)       In one school, a boy was missing school as he was caring for his ill mother. The club members got together to provide food parcels for the home, found a grant they could access to help with support needs, arranged for the health clinic to provide input to help with the care of the mother – all of which meant the child could come back to school, knowing that his mother’s needs were being attended to.

3)       In another school, the Soul Buddyz got together to provide clothing, bedding and other house hold items to help the family re-build what they had lost after a fire at the family home.

4)       At the Sesethu Primary School in King Williams Town, club members noticed that many of the younger children were arriving at school upset due to conditions at home. The Soul Buddyz decided to help by greeting the children at the gates at the start of the day and have “put the smiles back on their faces”.

Soweto View

I was lucky enough to visit one club at the Winnie Ngwekazi Primary School in Soweto. The school is based in a township and surrounded by low level, very basic housing. We were welcomed on arrival at the School by the Club Facilitator, Lindi, and the Club’s secretary who took us to meet the club members. A rousing Soul Buddyz chant greeted us from a group of around 20 children who sang so loudly I thought the roof would be raised off the classroom! Following a PT demonstration and a couple more  songs, we sat down to chat. I asked what the Soul Buddyz liked about the club – a sea of hands shot up as children were desperate to share their views. Some responses were, “I like doing PT”, “I like learning new things”, “I like the respect we have for one another”,  “I enjoy doing the projects”, and all the members were clear that the club gave them lots of activities to do and had allowed them to make new friends.

I asked them what they liked about their community – a resounding reply was. “the Soul Buddyz club”! It clearly is a great resource and asset which they value and cherish. They then went on to tell me about the things they didn’t like so much about their community – the problems associated with alcohol and drugs, the violence, the fact that people don’t help each other or talk nicely to each other, the rubbish, the thieving that goes on – even at school.

But they have also been working had to try and address some of theses issues through thier Special Projects....

They told me about their work on the alcohol campaign where they had wanted to do something to influence levels of drinking in the area as this was leading to a lot of problems. The ‘Shabeens’ in township areas are the main suppliers of alcohol, often staying open late at night  resulting in heavy drinking and associated violence. The members worked with the group facilitator to raise their concerns about the issue and did a campaign across the school to highlight the dangers of drinking and the link to teenage pregnancy and violence. They also asked the facilitator to take their concerns to the Shabeen owners. Whilst these are all issues the club members have tried to address in some way – they are significant problems and clearly still remain a concern.

The club is also preparing for an intergenerational project  to celebrate and thank the grandmothers of the community. Much of the caring of the children is done by Grandmothers as many mothers are either out working or have problems of their own (e.g. drink / drug problems). Later this week, they are holding an event where the Grandmother’s will come into the school so the children can say thank you for all the work they do.

They showed me the ‘Healing Centre’ in the grounds of the school, a place where children and parents can come for help, support and counselling. They showed me the soft toys that were available to greet children using the service, telling me how, "just a cuddle from one of these can make you feel so much better."





With members of the Soul Buddyz Club, Winnie Ngwekazi Primary School, Soweto

By building awareness of common issues and problems in communities and encouraging a positive response – and by planting the seeds of cooperative working– the Soul Buddyz clubs are building adults of the future who will contribute to society and who are a real asset to current and future generations. They have an understanding of what matters – and that they can have a role on helping to address many issues. Soul Buddyz are true agents of change and Community Champions!