CGY-SEF Stories of Change: Synobia Geduld, Beaufort West

Synobia Geduld is a community member and beneficiary of Partners in Sexual Health’s (PSH) Common Good Youth SRHR (CGY) Project in Beaufort West. Synobia shares her views on the impact the CGY project made in her life and her community.
BACKGROUND:
The Social Employment Fund (SEF), through the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative, creates opportunities for ‘whole of society’ approaches in tackling the unemployment challenge, while simultaneously addressing societal ills, especially for those in marginalised communities.
PSH’s Common Good Youth SRHR (CGY) project, funded by SEF, employs 2,000 young people in four provinces and continuously train them on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and equip them with work readiness skills. In return, these young people give back to their communities by facilitating face-to-face SRHR discussions through door-to-door visitations and street interactions; youth and intergenerational group discussions; community outreaches such as school gatherings, church gatherings, clinics and community meetings.
This project’s expected outcomes are to optimise work experience for participants, support their livelihood, and contribute to pathways out of poverty while at the same time decreasing HIV incidences, Teenage Pregnancy, and Gender-based Violence (GBV) in their communities.