Every World AIDS Day is a reminder of how far we have come and how much further we must go to ensure that every person living with HIV receives the dignity, care, and support they deserve.
Across South Africa’s North West province, Aurum’s Youth Care Clubs (YCCs) are creating safe, youth-led spaces that restore confidence, build resilience, and ensure that young people living with HIV can access the care they need without fear, stigma, or judgement.
Inside clinic rooms and community halls, adolescents gather each month to do far more than collect treatment. They come to be heard, supported, and understood. For many, these clubs represent the first place where they feel truly seen.
“There’s no judgement here. You feel like part of a family.” – Mpho, YCC participant
For young people like Mpho, a mother navigating her health while raising a child, the YCC offers a lifeline. Each session provides medication refills, counselling, peer support, and youth-friendly education. But the real power lies in connection – in creating an environment where young people are affirmed, encouraged, and equipped to take ownership of their wellbeing.
By 2024, Aurum had established 81 Youth Care Clubs across Bojanala, Ngaka Modiri Molema and Dr Kenneth Kaunda districts, supporting 708 adolescents. Beyond improving retention in care, the model has shifted how young people think about their health, their future, and their visibility in the HIV response.
For 19-year-old Baoki, knowledge is power.
“The Youth Care Club changes your perspective. You start believing you can control your treatment and your future.”
These clubs are supported by dedicated Community Liaison and Engagement Officers (CLEOs), NIMART-trained nurses, and case managers equipped through organisations like KidzAlive. The approach blends clinical care with youth-centred psychosocial support, strengthening adherence and reducing the anxiety and isolation that often accompany adolescence and HIV.
Young people face complex realities, from social pressures to structural inequalities – and the clubs create a space where these challenges can be discussed openly and without fear. Engagement Officers consistently witness the transformation.
“Giving them a place to be heard makes all the difference.” – Keotshepile Motshegwe, Engagement Officer
Through this model, adolescents are not passive recipients of care. They are partners, leaders, and advocates shaping their own futures.
On this World AIDS Day, Aurum commits to creating accessible, youth-driven HIV services that respond to real lives and real needs. Ending a human centred challenge. And it requires safe spaces, trusted relationships, and community-led interventions that honour our youth.
