Sugar daddies who, ironically, call themselves “blessers” lured 34 young girls and a few boys into their “debt” by offering them “free” gifts of food, school stationery, and money. Later, they returned, asking for payment of the “debt” in sexual “favours”. The children didn’t know what to do and so either obliged or were forced to perform sexual acts with the men and then felt the terrible confusion, shame, and guilt that often accompanies sexual abuse, even though they were the victims.
Christian charity, Crossroads, got in contact with acet UK and we partnered with them to start a project very similar to the Shining Star project in Zimbabwe.
5 staff trained on the online, six-day, RSE Esteem course and met weekly with the young people at what is now called the “Beaded anklet project”, where the children created anklets and bracelets to sell for an income. They also receive training in building their self-esteem and about their legal rights as part of their relationships and sex education.
Crossroads' Projects:
- Mayika Project by Crossroads - empowering 30 ladies from the community to help one another to build thier own homes. It takes them a week to make 250 bricks which means they are able to build one two-roomed house in about a month. This means that the vulnerable youth people who are being abused are able to sleep inside a locked house at night. These ladies are also able to attend a women's discipleship group where they memorise Bible verses!
- Relationships and sex-education lessons - Crossroads goes into local schools and runs relationships and sex-education session for hundreds of 11-16 year olds. The children have covered topics such as being a positive influence on their peers, personal values, self-esteem, substance abuse, puberty, personal boundaries, the idea of healthy and unhealthy relationships, and HIV. They have also been able to take part in team building activities, including a fun-day, (which was like a UK sports day).
South Africa: Peer Education
The Beaded Anklet project has had to halt its youth entrepreneur programme due to death threats issued by the ’blessers’ who target and exploit local vulnerable girls. These ‘blessers’, or sugar daddies, in many cases hold positions of authority in the local community, so they made it very difficult for the programme to continue.
Determined to continue supporting the local children, the Crossroads team took the education part of the work into 3 schools in the iLembe District of Kwa-Zulu Natal, where it is safer for the team and the children. Read more
Beaded Anklet Project in South Africa
“When things go wrong as they sometimes will, don’t quit” is what the poem tells us, and working with the girls in the Beaded Anklet Project has brought up some very difficult challenges, but we’re delighted neither the team nor the girls have quit!
Our partner, Crossroads, runs this peer education project in Ndwedwe, where there is a huge ‘sugar daddy’ problem. Read more
Beaded Anklet School Project, South Africa
Ndwedwe town, in Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa, is literally in the middle of some sugar cane fields at the end of the tarmacked road and lacks any formal roads, piped water and access to electricity.
The area has huge issues with teenage pregnancy, ‘sugar daddies’, ignorance about HIV and general sexual health, and rape is so common, it is ‘normal.’ Read more
South Africa: Building New Homes
In April 2022, Kwa-Zulu Natal experienced heavy and destructive rainfall, causing fatal flooding and horrendous damage.
The death toll was around 450 people.
Thousands of homes were totally destroyed and the infrastructure was horrifically damaged, including several major roads being completely washed away! Read more