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Trudence Mangachena
TWENTY Chitungwiza Junior Councillors who are club members of the Young People We Care (YPWC) programme went for training last weekend at the Council Head Office so as to empower their peers. The training comprised different modules such as understanding the community, the whole aspect of HIV/Aids, causes of early sex and the advantages of right choices about sex among other topics.

Club leader and secretary of YPWC Honourable Sikhulile Shumba (15) from Herentals College said she was happy as all went according to plan.

‘’We drew a sketch map of Chitungwiza as a way to figure out if young people had detailed information about the community we are to work in by disclosing areas we felt were regarded as risky places,” she said.

Sikhulile said churches and schools are some of the places where people with different backgrounds and should play a pivotal role of educating.

Not to be left out was a major concern on defining abbreviations so that everyone would be well versed with the subject.
The golden point reached was that in spite of all freedoms and rights that young people can lay claim to, sex should be a practice done in a marriage so that if anything goes wrong it can be dealt with in a more mature way other than in a relationship. Early sexual relations create problems because they are mostly the result of uninformed decisions by the youths.

Sikhulile added that there is no time frame for one to indulge in sexual activities but there are some causes to early sex during adolescents, namely peer pressure, pleasure, experimenting and material gain.

‘’We are to work with everyone in the community regardless of their social status so long as they need to be helped for we want to remove the elements of stigma and discrimination. Even the youths in sex work are entitled to the same right to a happy life as every other child, so implementing income-generating projects will help us lead a better life. There are self-generated jobs such as hairdressing which do not require much capital,’’ she said.

Sikhulile admitted that although she was training fellow club members she was also able to learn from them as well because the training allows the trainer and trainees to interact so as to strengthen the relationship amongst them as a club.

“After I asked the volunteers of the YPWC of their expectations as they are to make a difference in the community, they simply highlighted that they would be more than happy if the community embraces the care and love they are to offer without looking forward to material gains,” she said.

Honourable Tafadzwa Chakaza, Junior MP from Zengeza 2 High, said the training will go a long way in empowering the youth of Zimbabwe.

‘’I have learnt to make a difference in the lives of youths who are HIV positive by helping with household chores and pledging my time to be always there for them,” he said.