27 Mar 2017

A year ago, youthful Phenyo Maobi would visits liquor outlets for a few drinks and classified himself as an occasional drinker.
Like many out of school youths, drinking alcohol seemed stylish and helped him mingle with peers. Today, the Old Naledi resident sings a different tune, thanks to the intervention by Men and Boys for Gender Equality, a Broadhurst based non-governmental organisation that is targeting out of school youth to give them hope and embrace life free of drugs and alcohol.
“They asked me to go around and look for someone who has been drinking two bottle of beer for the past six years and is still doing that, I could not find any,” said Moabi.
After a series of counselling and motivation sessions, the lad decided to ditch drinking and started a t-shirt printing business, which is now able to feed him.
In an interview, Men and Boys for Gender Equality facilitator, Mr Modibedi Nthokwa said out of school youth from various places are put through life skills camps, adding that their aim was to change young people’s lives for the better.
Their training focuses on issues of drugs and alcohol abuse, which often leads to gender based violence and spread of HIV/AIDS.
“Most of these young people failed Form Three and From Five, but they can still rise up in life,’ he added.
So far, about 257 youth have been trained by the NGO and funded under the alcohol levy.
“Whatever situation you are in, you have to work harder,” said Denis Lunga, the founder of Men and Boys for Gender Equality.
He said young people were also given entrepreneurship skills, adding that government officials from institutions such as Citizen Entrepreneural Development Agency, Local Enterprise Authority and Youth Development Fund often came to address and guide the young people.
Mr Lunga however regretted that there were some young people who fell along the way, adding that they kept a track record of their participants.
Ms Lediretse Ebineng from the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness hailed Men and Boys initiative, which she said helped to keep young people free from drugs and alcohol.
He said the ministry, through the Alcohol Levy Fund, sponsored such programmes, which were aimed at helping young people live healthy lifestyles. ENDS