VOICES FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Whattup, sisters and brothers in Oakland,

We write to you from three places in South Africa: Soweto, Alexandra and Witbank, and we are all a part of an after-school program called FXB. We love being a part of FXB because it gives us a platform to express ourselves, and we are able to gain new knowledge and help each other grow. FXB trains us to deal with the challenges that affect both teenagers and our communities and we talk about everything - from mistakes to hope, love, respect and most importantly our teachers and mentors listen to us.

The youth of South Africa are dealing with a lot right now. In the past, during our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, our communities were fighting against Apartheid, but today we are still struggling. HIV/AIDS is a huge issue that affects our lives and it is really sad and painful. A lot of us have lost family members, and we are feeling the loss in unbelievable ways. Poverty is also a major problem in this country. Because there are a lack of jobs, people suffer and go to bed with empty stomachs, and sometimes this makes people resort to crime. Teenage pregnancy is also on the rise in South Africa, and we’ve seen how having a baby too young can rob a girl of her education and a good future. We are also dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment – and girls are mostly the victims of this too. And finally, too many teens are abusing substances. There is a lot of peer pressure here and teenagers use alcohol and drugs at an early age.

These are some rough times for us but we do have hope and we believe that if we unite as youth we will have the power to face these everyday challenges. We can be the ones to raise awareness and become advocates on these issues. We know that knowledge is power and that we can uplift our communities with action. So in FXB, we first educate ourselves about these issues and then we go into our communities and educate others. Our mission this year is to reduce the high rate of HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy, and to address substance and human abuses in our villages.

We really look forward to getting to know you and what life is like in Oakland. To be part of this cultural understanding project is a dream come true for us, and hopefully someday we can visit each other's beautiful countries.

Peace Out!

FXB Youth of South Africa