The YFC/KZN Bridge Project is dedicated to improving the health and economic security of 5 075 OVCY and 8 459 AGYW between the ages of 15-21 years in the eThekwini West through evidence-based economic strengthening services.
The Bridge Project is working in 23 eThekwini West schools. The project works closely with governmental departments, DREAMS partners, local NGOs and other stakeholders. In addition, they engage with the households’ beneficiaries in health, social and economic activities. This has made the organisation a natural choice to lead the consultation on beneficiaries’ vision and action plan for their Bridge Project.
The project has the following aims:
- To increase the number of adolescents and youth who are taught evidence-based socio-economic interventions that will equip them with the skills they need to negotiate good choices and healthy behaviours. These choices will lead to better health outcomes and mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on this vulnerable group of young people.
- Focus on ensuring that adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) have access to services that aim to reduce HIV prevalence by layering psychosocial, economic and adolescent sexual reproductive health services tailored to the most vulnerable and “at risk” girls and young women.
- To improve the well-being of the households of vulnerable adolescents and youth by increasing their ability to better prevent and cope with shocks (social, health, and economic) and mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on the family. The focus here is on equipping the primary caregivers to be able to better care for OVCY and AGYW.
- The Project ensures that it advocates and mobilizes community support and resources to increase adolescent and youth access to information, networks and new technologies. they hope to build linkages to professional and community networks and reduce social exclusion through a youth engagement community of practice that will support meaningful youth engagement, the development of measurement indicators and contribute to building evidence resources.