GirlLead is a leadership intervention initiative for young girls in the peri-urban and rural areas of SA and sub-saharan Africa. It aims to empower girls to become prominent leaders in society through three programs that are designed to deliver education and behaviour change while strengthening the demand for and supply of quality condoms. The programs are Mentorship, GirlLead influencer and Academic Excellence.
Through these programs, GirlLeadSA aims to build sharp leadership skills in young women, enabling them to rise above peer pressure, teenage pregnancies, HIV/AIDS epidemic, drug and alcohol abuse,
violence and dropping out of school. Behavioural change is an integral part of this leadership program. GirlLead mentorship program is delivered using two approaches: 1. Bi-weekly mentorship by young female professionals and 2. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) sessions facilitated by the Dynamic Youth Crew (DYC). The program provides guidance about HIV and AIDS-related education, peer related education, safe sex and teaching about life beyond school. The mentors address different issues, varying from career guidance, women empowerment, good decision making, living healthy and learning to address issues around sexual abuse.
The mentorship program is founded on the pillars of creating access, exposure to aspirational living and education for a better future. By connecting young women with suitable mentors, they have access to advice from someone who is inspirational and they are exposed to a positive success story of a woman who might have been like them (relatability) and gain insightful practical education that will have positive impact on their overall life experience.
The GirlLead team relies on the networks created while undertaking MBA studies, social media, personal and professional networks to recruit mentors to joining the network. They leverage brand strength of being associated with organisations such as UNAIDS, WBS and DUREX to create excitement around the GirlLead initiatives. Through the GirlLead mentorship program, we respond to risks such as peer pressure to engage in early sexual activity, irresponsible sexual behaviour (unsafe sex), unplanned pregnancies and transmission of sexual infections experienced by the youth. The overall objective of the GirlLead mentorship program intervention is to reduce socio-economic vulnerability of young women as they navigate the road to adulthood.
The covid 19 pandemic presented challenges to the education of students across South Africa, and it was important to develop methods of keeping students’ academic performance going as well as ensuring that they stay motivated. GirlLeadSA gifted partner school, Buhlebemfundo Secondary, with a fully functional computer lab and projector to ensure that students continue to perform and be mentored within the covid 19 restrictions.