THE FUTURE AS THE BEGINNING

I am filled with a renewed sense of strength and purpose. Knowing that I carry within me the resilience to bounce back from challenges fuels my passion for making a difference. Yesterday, we witnessed a significant moment—bringing together youth-led organizations from across the region in a meeting that marked a milestone in collaborative youth engagement. With the support of the Country Coordinating Mechanism, we delved into meaningful deliberations. This was more than just a meeting—it was a collective step forward in ensuring that youth programs are inclusive and accessible to all young people, regardless of their background or location. One of the most powerful outcomes was a commitment to empowering ourselves as young leaders to lead research and mobilize resources that directly serve our communities. Personally, I remain committed to finding pathways to reach the remote areas of Eswatini. It's crucial that we work hand-in-hand with community structures to foster inclusive dev...

Y oung leaders in Eswatini, appreciates the opportunity to have been part of the Commonwealth Youth Workshop. This initiative brought together 55 youth leaders from their diversities representing their constituencies and civil society organizations. Most participants are from the youth led organizations as compared to youth serving organizations. Eswatini Government officially opened the workshop over the citing of the national anthem, and the Honourable Prime Minister Rusell M Dlamini was represented by the Ministry of Tourism and Trade Affairs. Eswatini National Youth Council through the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Culture collaborated with the The Commonwealth and mobilized young people, through their personal capacity to impact change and transformation on Adolescents and Young People programming. The core objective for this workshop, was to introduce young people to the Common Wealth Charter (a document of the values and aspirations which unite the Commonwealth) The Commonweal...

  As an advocate for sexual reproductive health, any advocacy effort is a milestone for me. Changing lives through transformative approaches to accessing health care and improved menstrual health management is a great achievement in my space. This is Siphofaneni Clinic, in the lowveld part of Eswatini. These rest rooms reminded me how important it is to ensure the provision of MHM friendly environments, more than just the structure, the embracing of diversity in these clinics. We might not have enough investments towards infrastructure-fancy enough to have bins, hangs and ventilation. But the baby steps on acknowledging that disabled individuals are also in need of such services and share equal rights with anyone with no special need is emicable.  #donttaxmyperiod   #freepadsforall   #improvemenstrualhealth   #advocacy

In 2023, I met the vulnerable inner me but yet the strongest. Before the year starts, here is a little motivation to keep going no matter what.  The best time to go to school, finish that degree, look for that dream job, start the gym, start saving, start your business, start your NGO, date that guy who has been pursuing you-yes you-forgive that person, love life, get your favourite pet, go to that movie airing, or whatever...is now. You have already missed a lot of opportunities because you were regrouping and re structuring, you can go for it now. In 2023, I didn't have a job, i happened to wake up to my voluntary post like all my colleagues who kept theirs. I bet you thought i had it right? ; ) why? I had a positive mentality, i woke up freshened up and got dressed, prayed to GOD that i make out today with a new skill and a connection. I had terrible mornings, terrible ones that i would cry before getting out of bed, but soon after the shower, GOD carried me to another day after...

  The way GBV is beginning to be a norm in Eswatini is so scary. In a country where harmony used to be the centre of everything, it is so concerning how we got here. Young girls are in relationships with older men for money, boys are in search of wealthier woman so to be future secured and lack nothing, parents are no longer advisers to their children because of peer pressure. University students cohabits with their boyfriends, just to reduce living costs, men are frustrated bayazama lapha nalapha akuhlangani, women resort to sex work to provide for themselves. Society has made cheating an accepted behaviour that even women are convinced "Kute lengyomtfola longa cheat" you stay in abusive relationships because your system has accepted "Nangsuka lana ngiyaphi" I assure you, outside of those walls, there is life, life in abundance. And to everyone, check on your friends and relatives, even the ones who seem so happy, very happy that you even envy the lives they live. ...

LetsStopAIDS was founded in 2004, by the then 15-year-old Shamin Mohamed Jr. with a few high school students. They decided to take on a challenge to educate youth in Canada and globally about HIV. Unfortunately, their school principal thought they were up to no good. Despite the lack of support and obstacles along the way, the charity was officially registered, volunteers associated with it grew to over 400, and great coverage has been received from local and international media. Their ability to make an impact with just volunteers has been possible because they have not forgotten their original goal: To inspire young people affected by HIV to take action, within their local communities.  I was successful in joining the team that will be doing the  PrEP The Future Global Youth HIV Leadership Bootcamp! I am  one of the 40 young people chosen from over 2500+ applications from across the world! The  vision is that if every young person is given the knowledge, resources,...