Majita Asiringeni now pays dividends among Alex school boys
Rays of Hope’s Majita Asiringeni programme is now beginning to pay dividends among Alex school boys as ‘peace ambassadors’ are beginning to emerge from the group on the programme.
Rays of Hope’s anger management programme with Alexandra boys called Majita Asiringeni (Boys Let’s Talk) is beginning to pay dividends.
This is according to Bertha Muchadeyi, a programme manager at Rays of Hope, who said the programme, funded by The Solidarity Fund, is now showing glimpses of incredible success and has already identified young ‘peace ambassadors’ among the young men who have progressed and developed in the programme.
The pilot programme, which was in response to the July 2021 riots, started with the boys who regularly attend the Teenage Boys Support Group and expanded into several schools to offer an initial eight-week programme to 60 young boys struggling to manage their anger and emotional trauma.
The initiative trains these young men to become representatives of peace in their respective schools and communities who, when witnessing violence, can talk to their peers about healthier ways of resolving conflict and dealing with their anger.
This holistic approach has driven the programme to look at offering parental support groups and workshops that will accommodate teenagers and their families over weekends.
These sessions will help parents reflect on how their parenting styles and home environments impact their children and how their behaviour, drinking habits, or violent behaviour within their homes affect them.
“I realised there was a problem when I started to not feel like myself. It got to the point where I was scared that I might become suicidal, and I decided to get help to become healthier,” said Smangaliso Kubeka, a 17-year-old teenager in Alexandra.
“Joining this programme has had a major impact on my life, and I don’t know where I would be right now without it. I can see the change, including realising the source of my anger and getting the guidance I need to overcome my challenges and become more outgoing, full of life, and free of my past trauma.”
Despite the significant milestones the programme has accomplished, Muchadeyi said it still requires funding to support its qualified social workers and auxiliary social workers. Doing so will enable them to reach out to even more teenagers and continue spreading resilience and anger management throughout schools in the community.
“Our programme needs funding to support the employment of more social workers or even offer a stipend. We also need more workbooks because we only have five at the moment and have to make copies to accommodate the rest of the boys and the facilitators,” Muchadeyi added.
Although the Majita Asiringeni pilot has focused predominantly on boys, Muchadeyi said the initiative will soon accommodate young girls and teenage mothers in the community too.
Details: www.raysofhope.co.za
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