Safe Spaces
Amandla’s Safer Spaces is one of our cornerstone programs. They are situated in the Cape Town townships of Philippi, Mitchells Plain, and Samora Machel. These low-income communities have devastating rates of HIV.
The aim of our Safe Space is to provide a nurturing space for vulnerable youth to meet and access services in a friendly environment. These include after-school programs in the arts, theatre, music, dance, even DJ lessons. Alongside these creative outlets, we provide counselling, family planning services, LGBTQ support and computers with WiFi for homework and research.
The Safe Space has become a place of hope, education, learning, expression, joy and the sharing of ideas. We believe that through honest, open discussions on sexual reproductive health and HIV risks, we can lower the number of new infections and unintended pregnancies. And the numbers prove us right: by providing a safe space, free of judgment, with on-site health services, Amandla has tripled HIV testing among youth from 10% to 30%, and offered education and increased openness around this and other diseases.

“According to Western Cape government, 1 in every 3 women and 1 in 10 men are HIV+ “

Free of Judgement
Amandla Development Safe Space

Most new infections come from young people, and research has shown that younger people often feel unwelcome or intimidated to go to health clinics due to stigma within the community. By providing a safe space, free of judgment, with on-site health services, Amandla has raised the HIV testing rate from 10% to over 80%, and offered education and increased openness around this and other diseases.

But that’s only one of our life-altering programmes. The aim of our Safer Spaces is to provide a nurturing space for vulnerable youth to meet and access services in a friendly environment.

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Community Solutions

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Resource Access Program

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Shared Measures

Safe Space Programme Includes:
  • Sexual Reproductive Health Services, including discussions, testing and counseling on issues including family planning, teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, abortion, STI’s, endemic diseases, substance abuse and more.
  • Counseling and Mentorship, providing psycho-social support, comprehensive life skills and a space for information sharing and learning. There are one-on-one as well as group sessions, allowing students to safely discuss sex, relationships, LGBTQ support, rights, and any other issues they might be facing.
Place of Hope

The Safer Spaces have become a place of hope, education, learning, expression, joy and the sharing of ideas. We believe that through honest, open discussions on sexual reproductive health and HIV risks, we can lower the number of new infections and unintended pregnancies. In addition, we offer LGBTQ support groups to vulnerable teens, a home base free from the violence of the streets, and classes that include dance, art and music.

From providing a safe haven to sharing life skills to joyfully dancing together, we can make a difference to the Philippi youth struggling with poverty and its associated challenges.

We’re not trying to do this alone. 

Rather, our mission is to bring in the community and bridge the gap between children and the services already in place.

Amandla Development, the Western Cape Department of Health, and several community partners are in partnership to strengthen the ability of community structures and networks to prevent HIV infection, unintended pregnancies, school dropout and the other poverty-related issues youth in Philippi face. We also combine forces to support those living with HIV while meeting sexual health needs in context-specific and age-appropriate ways.