The Department of Social Development, in partnership with the South African National Aids Council and the Men’s Sector, will be hosting the first Boys’ Assembly on 20 October 2018.
The Boys Assembly aims to mobilise boys to be part of the solution to transform existing gender imbalances and to put an end to gender-based violence and inequalities that lead to HIV infections.
The Boys Assembly will bring together 500 boys under the age of 18 from the provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga. The boys will be engaged in holistic dialogues to discuss issues that affect them and their communities.
The National Strategic Plan of 2017 mandated the Department of Social Development to lead on Goal 4 which seeks to address social and structural drivers of HIV, TB and Sexually Transmitted Infections.
In order to achieve this, the department developed social and behavioural change programmes to promote positive behavioural outcomes that are critical to altering the course of the epidemic.
The Department of Social Development is scaling up activities which focus on men and boys through the Men Championing Change and the You Only Live Once (YOLO) programmes. These activities are implemented in partnership with the Men’s Sector under the Takuwani Riime campaign.
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the Boys’ Assembly, which will be addressed by the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mrs Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, scheduled as follows:
Date: Saturday, 20 October, 2018
Time: 09h00
Venue: The Lakes Hotel & Conference Centre, 1 Country Lane Lakefield, Benoni, 1501
Media can RSVP by contacting Mr Jaconia Kobue on 063 249 5120 / JaconiaK@dsd.gov.za or Mr Justice Malapane on 066 480 6849 / JusticeD@dsd.gov.za
Media inquiries:
Ms Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
Email: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
