Young men go hiking to learn about gender-based violence

Young men hiked at Newlands Forest to learn about a role a man plays in their community. Supplied.

Young men hiked at Newlands Forest to learn about a role a man plays in their community. Supplied.

Published Sep 18, 2021

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Cape Town - A youth organisation in Langa took young men hiking in Newlands Forest in an effort to teach them about gender-based violence (GBV).

Qula Kwedini Youth Organisation is an organisation that creates a sober space for young men and boys to confront and challenge the behaviour that men exact and also reflect on their past experiences.

The young men came from different townships across Cape Town.

Founder Sisa Nobanda said the key element of the hike was to address the issue of GBV.

“To confront the fact that we are the face of violence even in our communities, we wanted them to understand the role of a man in the community,” he said.

He said while hiking, they had different topics they discussed in different spots.

Nobanda said they talked about GBV, what could be the cause, and how can one avoid being in an abusive relationship where they end up being the abuser.

He said they discussed what makes a man, the use of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PREP) which is the daily oral pill that is used to prevent HIV.

He said they also talked about the understanding of contraceptives that are used by their partners so they can be more informed and take action in making sure that their partners are on contraceptives to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

“As an organisation, we felt for them to reason we needed to take them out of the township out of the norm and introduce them to a new lifestyle, hiking, sight seeing so they can start to think differently,” said Nobanda.

One of the young men, Sanele Mzwakali, said it was a great day for him, and it was his first time hiking.

“I got a chance to learn more about gender-based violence and what it means to be a man,” he said.

Mzwakali said he was more interested in the topics about manhood and also prevention.

He said he learnt a lot, and he would like to be one of those that use PREP for his safety.

Mcebisi Ntozinde said, for him, the team behind the hike went beyond his expectations.

“For the organisers to bring social workers was an A-plus for me. I was not expecting that,” he said.

Ntozinde said he learnt a lot, and he will forever be grateful for the experience and being part of the hike.

Weekend Argus

Related Topics:

Gender-based Violence