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Lovelife Centre
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Our Mission
A leader in youth health promotion
To promote social activism for healthy living, active lifestyle and HIV consciousness among young people:through - Advocacy - information, education and awareness campaigns - healthy living and behavioral change interventions - Youth development programmes.
What we offer
Above and beyond
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School programme
Active lifestyle programme
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Family programme
Programmes
School programme
shaping tomorrow's leaders
Schools Programme:
Our access to young people primarily occurs through the schools’ network and our relationship with these schools and their support is critical in the success and the reach of many of our programmes.
gBs are responsible for registering the schools where they implement the loveLife programmes every year. By the end of 2015, loveLife had registered a total of 2,356 active schools in all provinces. The largest numbers of registered schools were secondary schools at 32%, followed by equal 25% registrations for Primary and Combined Schools.
Active lifestyle programme
Exceeding Expectations
The Active Lifestyles package is loveLife’s sport, recreation, arts and culture programme which has been designed to facilitate access to sport and recreation for young people for health and physical activity promotion in order to reduce vulnerability towards non-communicable diseases NCD’s in later years. The programme provides an opportunity to positively engage young people on social and behaviour change (SBCC) initiatives through sport and recreation. Recreation as a medium for SBCC has the potential to reduce risk behaviour by providing short and long term physical and mental health benefits.
Family programme
Making a Difference One Child at a Time
Family Programme:
LoveLife recognises the significant role that parents play in influencing the lives of youth.
There is evidence that open communication about sex and sexuality between parent and child significantly reduces risk behaviour.
loveLife continues to build on the need to facilitate communication between parents and children and to provide a platform for parents’ involvement in the organisation’s campaign to build stronger families. loveLife implements three programmes for supporting the rebuilding of families.
LATEST NEWS
TEENAGE PREGNANCY COMES AT A HIGH PRICE, BOTH ECONOMICALLY AND SOCIALLY
While there are no silver bullets to solve complex problems like teenage pregnancy, we must never make the mistake of misdiagnosing the pervasive issues that characterize the problem. Since the Uthungulu District published the report last month that more that 15 000 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 fell pregnant between April 2020 and March 2021 – loveLife has been metabolizing the issues emerging from talk radio and social media. Interestingly, we have observed that South Africans are not particularly outraged enough about the impregnation of 10 to 12-year-olds. South Africa, how did we get here? Where 10-year-olds are characterized as teenagers and we are ok with it? Where we are told that more than 900 children between the ages of 10 and 14 were impregnated and we don’t demand justice as the law is unambiguous about statutory rape as far as children in concerned? Where accountability seems to be the last thing we demand from those responsible with following through to ensure children are protected or at least once known that they are in harm’s way – should be removed from those environments? Perhaps we must first acknowledge that although the reported numbers may be shocking, the problem of teenage pregnancy is not new and not just numbers, but real people and lives that are left devastated. Secondly, we must acknowledge that – that this problem persists – adults in our country are failing the children terribly. Thirdly, we must acknowledge that if the adults in our society are just happy to tweet their outrage and not demand justice for children – we are not just derelict but killing the souls of our children and stunting their future. Fourthly, we must acknowledge that as long as Gender Based Violence (GBV) remains under addressed in our country – we will always be back here – shocked and dismayed. Fifthly, and most importantly, we must acknowledge that the failure to reduce poverty and inequality in our country we will continue to deepen the problem as studies have shown the causal links between the two and teenage pregnancy. Now the question maybe – where do we start to address this teenage pregnancy challenge? With more 20 years’ experience of running programmes for young people between the ages of 10 to 24, LoveLife has seen how effective multisectoral approaches can be in dealing with complex problems such as teenage pregnancy. Therefore, the first place to start is to fix our broken system by continuously hold the role players and actors in the youth ecosystem accountable. For instance, the Department of Health personnel that become aware of pregnant girl children under 12 must report the matter to the South African Police Services as it is a case of statutory rape. Then, the police must investigate and the National Prosecuting Authority must prosecute the perpetrators and record them in the National Register of Sex offenders. The same must also apply to any underage girl that is impregnated. While at it, the Department of Basic Education must enforce the recently amended Employment of Educators Act which empowers the department to dismiss and never again employ any educator found guilty of a sexual misconduct with a learner. Evidently, there is no lack of legislative instruments in our country to either protect the children or create environments designed to prevent teenage pregnancy, but the pervasive issue is that of systemic unwillingness to act. This unwillingness keeps breaking our values while keeping us in the vicious cycle. While civil society players are a critical collaborator in the ecosystem to protect the girl child, we must force the hand of government in cases it moves slower on. We must utlise our stakeholder engagement platforms to deal with challenges, and in cases where there seems to be deliberate dragging of feet, we may have to litigate. A step that no one ever wants to pursue because whenever we work with government – it is on the principle of working together in the best interest of the girl child. Of course, parents and guardians who shield the perpetrators of sexual assault on girl children all in the name of alleviating poverty must be held accountable for their complicity. While it is well known fact that the prevalence of pregnancies among adolescent girls living in adverse social conditions and environmental influence are typically driven by poverty, a lack of education and employment opportunities – we should never normalize the prostitution of girl children. If girl children are to have any future to talk of, my compatriots must rise to demand justice and each role player accountable. The South Africa we want is one where teenage pregnancy becomes the least of our problem, where government and business does more than enough to reduce poverty and inequality by respectively creating enabling environment for prosperous economy and creating sustainable jobs for many. Solving the poverty and inequality problem may not be the panacea, but it definitely is the beginning of removing the biggest hurdle in the journey towards protecting girl children and breaking the vicious cycle to help secure their futures. If we don’t, we will have to pay a very high price – both economically and socially.
Ends…
Dr Ncube-Nkomo is the CEO of the New LoveLife Trust
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loveLife’s UNCUT Puts the Spotlight on Gender-Based Violence this Women’s Month
With the focus on women in August, loveLife, South Africa’s national youth leadership development organisation, has released a special online edition of its cutting-edge youth magazine, UNCUT, to raise awareness on gender-based violence (GBV). The edition is a collection of powerful stories unearthed through its GBV project with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
“Through this project with UNFPA we have brought to light and explored the intricacies of gender inequality in South Africa and have found that solutions to the issue are not standard and require interventions that are tailored and informed by communities themselves,” says UNCUT Editor-in-Chief Angelo C Louw.
In 2013, loveLife and the UNFPA joined forces with the intention of implementing a programme to focus on GBV in communities in the Free State and Eastern Cape. Activities included training of young people in citizen journalism so they could shed light on GBV in their communities by facilitating discussions on their documentaries with community stakeholders and on various media platforms, such as community and national radio stations.
GBV is a serious issue in South Africa, and is still a societal taboo in most parts of the country. Through this project, loveLife aimed to get people to end the status quo under the slogan: ‘SILENCE BREEDS VIOLENCE: IT’S TIME FOR A REMIX.’
“Through the implementation of the awareness, one of the challenges was that the Eastern Cape community was reluctant to be part of this initiative. With the great help of our groundBREAKERs, (peer motivators and community mobilisers who implement loveLife’s healthy sexuality, positive lifestyle and skills development programmes), they shared interesting stories which pointed out the negatives and destroying factors of GBV. By participating with communities, we found that there has been a need to address the issue of GBV but there was never a platform to,” says Project Owner: loveLife-UNFPA Gender-Based Violence Project Precious Magogodi.
“Being a groundBREAKER that focused on GBV through the Media Ys Programme – loveLife’s citizen journalism programme – was an eye-opening experience, the programme became more than just work for me. I had become the voice for my community; their advocate, their hope for change and a role model to many young people. GBV affects us all and the community of Uitenhage, thanks to loveLife, was and still is aware of their rights and refuses to be part of the numbers counted for victims of GBV,” says programme alumnus, Anelisa Matebese.
This Women’s Month, let us stand together and break the silence on GBV. Let South Africa be GBV free.
You can read the GBV edition of UNCUT by clicking on the following link: https://lovelife.org.za/uncut/
Beneficiaries
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Annual Events
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HIV/AIDS POLICY
HIV/AIDS POLICY
Policy: Effective Date: 11 October 2007
Approved: 11 October 2007 Review Date: 11 October 2010
Why Have a Policy?
A workplace policy provides the framework for action to reduce the spread of
HIV/AIDS and manage its impact. It:
makes an explicit commitment to municipality’s action.
ensures consistency with appropriate national laws.
lays down a standard of behaviour for all employees (whether infected or not.
gives guidance to supervisors and managers.
helps employees living with HIV/AIDS to understand what support and care they will receive, so they are more likely to come forward for voluntary testing.
helps to stop the spread of the virus through prevention programmes.
assists the municipality to plan for HIV/AIDS and manage its impact, so ultimately saving money.
Policies should be shaped by local needs and conditions - no single policy is relevant to all situations - but the components below can usefully be included. Having taken into account the specific needs of Cinci Lovelife Centre uThungulu District Municipality, the policy outlined below is recommended as the final product.
THE POLICY
1. GENERAL STATEMENT
uThungulu District Municipality (Cinci Lovelife Centre) recognizes the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its impact on the workplace. The municipality supports national efforts to reduce the spread of infection and minimize the impact of the disease. The purpose of this policy is to ensure a consistent and equitable approach to the prevention of HIV/AIDS among employees and their families, and to the management of the consequences of HIV/AIDS, including the care and support of employees living with HIV/AIDS. The policy has been developed and will be implemented in consultation with employees at all levels. It is in compliance with existing laws regarding HIV/AIDS.
2. POLICY FRAMEWORK AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Cinci Lovelife Centre does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination against employees or job applicants on any grounds, including HIV status. While Cinci Lovelife Centre recognizes that there are circumstances unique to HIV infection, this policy rests on the principle that HIV infection and AIDS should be treated like any other serious condition or illness that may affect employees. It takes into account the fact that employees with HIV may live full and active lives for a number of years. The Municipality’s commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for all employees is based on the recognition that HIV is not transmitted by casual contact.
3. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS
Stigma, discrimination, and rights
No rights - from confidentiality to access to benefits - should be affected by an individual's HIV status, real or suspected. Stigma and discrimination compromise employee welfare and a safe and healthy work environment. They also undermine HIV prevention efforts, which depend on an atmosphere of openness, trust, and respect for basic rights.
Rights of employees who are HIV-positive
HIV-positive employees will be protected against discrimination, victimization, or harassment. Normal municipality disciplinary and grievance procedures shall apply equally to all employees, as will the provision of information and education about HIV and AIDS.
Employment opportunities and termination of employment
No employee should suffer adverse consequences, whether dismissal or denial of appropriate alternative employment opportunities, merely on the basis of HIV infection.
Testing
Cinci Lovelife Centre rejects HIV testing as a prerequisite for recruitment, access to training or promotion. However, the municipality promotes and facilitates access to voluntary confidential testing with counselling (VCT) for all employees.
Epidemiological testing
Testing programmes for epidemiological purposes will be subject to appropriate consultation with recognized employee representatives and will be subject to independent and objective evaluation and scrutiny. The results of epidemiological studies will not be used as a basis for discriminating against any class of employee in the workplace. All testing will comply with accepted national and international standards on pre-and post-test counselling, informed consent, confidentiality, and support.
Confidentiality
The Municipality recognizes the sensitive issues that surround HIV/AIDS and undertakes to handle matters in a discreet and private manner. Where an employee with HIV has revealed his or her status to management, the Municipality will keep the identity of such person confidential. However, in line with the Municipality’s philosophy on the virus, the employee will be encouraged to be open about his or her HIV status.
Awareness-raising and education
In the absence of a vaccine or cure, information and education are vital components of an AIDS prevention programme. Because the spread of the disease can be limited by informed and responsible behaviour, practical measures such as condom distribution are also important means of supporting behaviour change within the workplace community.
Awareness and education Programmes
Appropriate awareness and education programmes will be conducted to inform employees about AIDS and HIV which will enable them to protect themselves and others against infection by HIV. Some of these will include the families of employees and the local community.
Employee involvement
The Municipality recognizes the importance of involving employees and their representatives in the planning and implementation of awareness, education, and counselling programmes, especially as peer educators and counsellors.
Prevention measures
Practical measures to support behaviour change and risk management will include the treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and TB (or, where necessary referral to STI and TB treatment services in the community), and the distribution of condoms.
Training
Training shall be arranged for key staff, including managers, supervisors, and personnel officers; union representatives; trainers of trainers (both male and female); peer educators; and occupational safety and health officers.
Time
Reasonable time off will be given for participation in education and training.
Care and support for workers and their families
It is in the interest of both the municipality and employees if infected individuals are assisted to remain at work as long as possible.
The promotion of employees' well-being
The Municipality will treat employees who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS with empathy and care. The Municipality will provide all reasonable assistance which may include counselling, time off, sick leave, family responsibility leave, and information regarding the virus and its effect.
Work performance and reasonable accommodation
It is the policy of the Municipality to respond to the changing health status of employees by making reasonable accommodation in the workplace for those infected with HIV. Employees may continue to work as long as they are able to perform their duties safely and in accordance with accepted performance standards. If an employee with AIDS is unable to perform his or her tasks adequately, the manager or supervisor must resolve the problem according to the municipality's normal procedure on poor performance/ill health.
Benefits
Employees living with HIV/AIDS will be treated no less favourably than staff with any other serious illness/condition in terms of statutory and municipality benefits, workplace compensation, where appropriate, and other available services.
Healthcare
This Municipality will help employees living with HIV/AIDS to find appropriate medical services in the community, as well as counselling services, professional support and self-help groups if required. Reasonable time off will be given for counselling and treatment.
Appropriate support and counselling services will be made available to employees.
4. IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING
Baseline study
In order to plan and evaluate its HIV/AIDS policy and programme effectively, Cinci Lovelife Centre will undertake a survey to establish baseline data and regular risk and impact assessment studies. The studies will include knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour/practices (KAB/P). Studies will be carried out in consultation and with the consent of employees and their representatives, and in conditions of complete confidentiality.
Communication
This policy, and related information on HIV and AIDS, will be communicated to all Cinci Lovelife Centre employees and the wider public using the full range of communication methods available to the municipality and its network of contacts.
Policy review
This policy will be reviewed annually and revised as necessary in the light of changing conditions and the findings of surveys/studies conducted.
5. BUDGET AND FINANCE
When it becomes necessary, Cinci Lovelife Centre will make every effort to establish a budget for HIV/AIDS activities but realizes that many interventions can be put in place at little or no cost. Many of the required services are available in community facilities
6. AUTHORITY
Formulation Policy: Director Corporate Services
Authorisation Policy: Council
Ownership & Maintenance Manager: Deputy Director : Corporate Service
Online Reputation Strategy
With your online reputation serving as one of your company’s core assets, it is important that you cultivate a positive brand image online. We look at what an effective online reputation management strategy looks like and how this can help you protect your brand identity online.
Control your reputation online
It is vital to implement a pro-active online reputation management strategy online to protect your firm’s bottom line. In a nutshell, online reputation management allows you to control what appears in a search online for your company’s name. The effectiveness of this strategy hinges on the ongoing creation of positive digital content. By optimizing this content you can ensure it appears on the first page of a Google search for your business’ name, shielding the page from negative content.
Components of an effective strategy
This leads us to ask, what should you do to ensure your company builds an effective online reputation management strategy? We would advise you to include the following elements if you wish to build a strong online reputation management plan going forward…
Exemplary good and service: Effective online reputation management begins offline. Focus on supplying your existing customers with great service, as well as first-rate products. Not only could this prevent aggrieved customers from posting negative content concerning your company online, it could incentivize them to post positive content, allowing you to foster consumer trust.
Social media profiles: With customers increasingly engaging with businesses via social media, it is vital that you build a strong presence on these platforms. Focus on using social media to supply effective customer service, to ensure that these assets allow you to construct a trusted brand online.
Engaging content: It is key that you attract high traffic volumes to your digital assets, ensuring Google views them as valuable sources of information concerning your firm. Develop useful content for your social media profiles, blog sites etc., so potential consumers will engage with these platforms, allowing them to rank highly on Google searches for your business’ name.
Online response training: Provide all staff with online response training, ensuring they interact with consumers online appropriately. If you have the resources, develop a social media team who can respond to consumers on these platforms promptly, positioning your brand as one which always strives to put customers first.
Brand monitoring: The sooner a problem comes to your attention, the sooner you can implement a resolution. Utilize monitoring programs such as Google Alerts to keep track of your brand mentions online. This way if any reputational issues arise, you can look to resolve consumer issues promptly.
Review management: With 67% of consumers saying that they are influenced by online reviews, it is important to deal with negative reviews promptly. Implement a review management strategy which allows you to deal with negative reviews according to best practice and promote positive feedback.
Mission Statement
To promote social activism for healthy living, active lifestyle, and HIV consciousness among young people: through-Advocacy-information, education, and awareness campaigns– healthy living and behavioural change interventions– Youth development programmes.