#YouthDrive4Health is not just an event, it is a mass movement to create a healthy South Africa through empowering youth to know their status.
Led by the Aurum Youth Project, the #YouthDrive4Health Campaign aims to test over 5000 youth across the 6 Aurum districts between October and November 2019. These mass testing events aim to empower generations of youth to know their status, receive counselling, be linked to their nearest clinic, stay on treatment and live healthy lives.
The youth of Mafikeng rose to the challenge for the first #YouthDrive4Health event, by mobilising their communities to test for HIV and by educating the public on the importance of knowing their HIV status. The powerful start of #YouthDrive4Health in Mafikeng led by energized youth, resulted in 699 people being across Mega City Shopping Centre, Taletso TVET College and North West University. This incredible number is beyond the targets of 400 and 150 by the Aurum Youth Project Team and the NMM District Team respectively.
Incentivised testing for the Aurum youth resulted in these youth bringing 450 people to test, with one youth brigning as many as 28 people and receiving 6 Gigs of data for his efforts. According to the Sharon Matthee, a Youth at the Aurum Institute “Our campaign has touched the lives of a lot of community members as well as started a change amongst our youth in their perception on living with HIV and around the stigma attached to it. Our event has shown why it is important to know your HIV status and to seek help. We also emphasized that as a society we are in this fight together and that no one is alone.”
The next #YouthDrive4Health event is taking place on the 24th and 25th of October at Alberton City Taxi Rank from 08:30-16:00. There will be mass testing, great incentives, the vibrancy of youth and music throughout the day. Youth of Ekurhuleni South, are you ready? If 86 youth from Mafikeng could mobilise 699 people to test, imagine what 163 youth from Ekurhuleni South could achieve.
