Palala Clubs Understand the Challenge
For people world-wide, South Africa was put on the map when Nelson Mandela became the president in 1994 and apartheid became history. Unfortunately, the country is in danger of losing this legacy to an evil that is taking over the land and gaining even more publicity than the apartheid era. This evil is AIDS, and so far South Africa has been struggling to win the battle.
South Africa is struggling for two reasons. First, AIDS is not real to the people of rural South Africa. Second, because the group at highest risk of contracting AIDS is school-age youth who are left alone in the village while their parents are away working. Maybe in the larger cities where the parents work, AIDS is openly discussed, but when you step inside a mud hut in a rural village and see two teenage girls (possibly one of them pregnant) living alone with no guardian, it becomes evident that there is a large fissure in the battle against AIDS that needs dire attention before there can be any improvement for the country. Thus, the challenge in fighting AIDS in South Africa is reaching its message all the way into the rural communities, where the problem festers and grows, and making AIDS real.
Finally, in assessing the needs of the particular communities that the Palala Clubs serve, there were two main challenges to overcome before successfully implementing an HIV/AIDS prevention program. The first was creating a safe and welcoming environment for youth that was not only educational but also fun. The second challenge was finding and retaining motivated and committed leaders within the communities who would carry the Palala Clubs to overall greatness.
Palala Clubs Address the Challenges and Give New Life
In response to the challenges noted above, the Palala Clubs were founded after six months of rigorous research in rural South Africa. The Palala Girls Club (PGC) came first and was formed in 2007 by United States Peace Corps Volunteer, Rachel Johnson, and later expanded to Palala Boys Club (PBC) in 2008 by her husband, Brandon Johnson.
Specifically, the Palala Clubs overcame the challenges above by focusing efforts in three directions: local leaders, central meeting location and program structure.
First, local school teachers and community members are sought to lead faithfully the Palala Club meetings every week. These men and women serve as a catalyst to reaching young, at-risk youth on a mentor level. If there is one thing that the Palala Clubs specialize in that many other programs funded from outside often overlook, it would be the personalized attention given to the boys and girls by the community leaders. These talented leaders that work with both the PGC and PBC are encouraging, knowledgeable and dedicated to making a difference in the youths’ lives. In the end, this attention given by the local leaders produces more confident and responsible kids who are now equipped with the necessary tools to prevent AIDS in their own lives and the lives of others. Overall, the investments of these leaders is resulting youth who feel more empowered through their knowledge but also more affirmed in their roles as men and women in South Africa.
Second, the Palala Clubs meet within schools’ compounds, often in a meeting hall to allow for accessible attendance by all learners. Instead of the program running in the evenings or on the weekends when the youth could possibly forget, it runs immediately after the school day is finished so the boys and girls have no reason to miss. The club meetings not only become a normal facet of their school day, but it becomes their favorite day of the week!
Lastly, the Palala Clubs follow a specific program structure so both the leaders and children know what to expect and can have something reliable and stable in their lives. Each week, the Palala Club meetings focus on teaching the youth the following: 1) gender-specific life skills, 2) HIV/AIDS education and 3) a weekly activity or craft that the youth may use in the future as an income generating activity and/or to occupy their free time. Please visit our Start Your Own! page to see more of our weekly curriculum.
Why are the clubs such a positive and successful project?
- They’re fun!
- So many lessons are taught, and so many skills are learned.
- Mentor-child relationships are developed at a level that is impossible inside of a classroom.
- It’s not a single-day event. A club can last a half year or more.
- The children have an alternative to other unhealthy after-school options.
- Leaders gain valuable insight into lesson-planning and curriculum development, as well as teaching strategies and methods.
- The club structure can be used as a means to get other projects done at school or within the community.
- HIV/AIDS education is taught only after developing a strong unity within the club. This creates an openness and depth to the discussion once it arises.
- They can be self-sustainable.
- The local community can have something to take pride in.
For detailed information regarding the individual clubs, please see the links below:
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