The Deputy Minister of Social Development, Ms Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, will on Friday, 22 November 2019 officially launch two complementary initiatives, the Ipelegeng Community Care Centre and the Safe Space for Men (The Lounge) in Ipelegeng Township, Schweizer-Reneke, North West Province.

The Safe Space for Men, dubbed The Lounge, is the first of its kind in South Africa in that it gives men and boys an opportunity to hold each other accountable and to play a more active role in our national efforts to combat the scourge of gender-based violence, femicide, HIV, alcohol and substance abuse and many other social ills confronting communities in South Africa.

The Lounge will provide men and boys of all ages, a safe space to engage in open, non-judgmental conversations, where they can be “vulnerable” in the presence of their peers. It will also serve as a space where men and boys can access services such as HIV testing and psychosocial support services. Research shows that most men are reluctant to seek treatment or services in public facilities as compared to women. Young boys will be paired with positive male role models in their communities to mentor and guide them towards positive masculinities and healthy lifestyles.

The opening of the The Lounge coincides with the commemoration of the International Men’s Day, which is commemorated annually in November to remove the negative image and stigma associated with men in our society. The concept of the Safe Space for Men is premised on the need to involve men and boys as partners for change in the implementation of Goal 4 of the National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS, TB and STIs, which seeks to address social and structural drivers.

The concept is also premised from the recognition that national efforts and campaigns to prevent and end all forms of violence against women and girls, including gender-based violence and femicide as well as the prevention of new HIV infections which disproportionately affect women and girls, will not succeed without men and boys playing their part in the solution.

The Ipelegeng Community Care Centre will provide psychosocial care and support services and skills development to orphans and vulnerable children, including child-headed households and youth. Ipelegeng is one of the 6 Community Care Centres being constructed in the North West Province. With financial support from KfW (German-state owned development bank) to the tune of 9, 9 Million Euros, the Department has built 17 Community Care Centres that are at various phases of construction in three provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and North West.

The community care centres will also serve as service points to bring government services on the doorstep of rural communities. This will include services rendered by the Departments of Social Development, Home Affairs, Health and public entities such as SASSA and NDA amongst others.

The goal of building community care centres in rural communities is to enhance the quality of services to orphans and vulnerable children within their own communities of origin and to complement existing child-protection interventions and services such as Home Community Based Care, drop-in centres, Isibindi, childcare forums and early childhood development.

Under the Home Community Based Care programme, the Department renders early identification, psychosocial support and referrals for orphans and vulnerable children as well as capacity building programmes for community caregiver groups and facilitation of support groups.