PUSH officially launch the Choma DREAMS Café

Choma DREAMS Café aims at empowering young women.

July 1, 2017

Dane Job 2 minutes read

The organisation Persevere Until Something Happens (PUSH) was established in May 2001. PUSH is a Non-Profitable Organisation in collaboration with the Department of Social Development.

PUSH is situated in Eldorado Park Extension Seven. Although sometimes confused for being in Kliptown.

This Organisation was established because of them (PUSH) identifying that our Greater Eldorado Park community is undoubtedly in need of “within reach” treatment, support centres as well services that will meet the needs of our community.

Over the years it has always been PUSH’s mission to be a model service provider that contributes to the quality of life, including achievement of an HIV/AIDS-free generation as well as being committed to the empowerment of individuals as they realize that they have to take responsibility for their own lives.

The services that are provided by PUSH are counselling, HIV Testing Services Drop-in Centre for orphaned and vulnerable children, Adolescents Program, Virtues Project, Health Screening and a program that focuses on the young girls, DREAMS program.

The goal that DREAMS wishes to achieve is to help young girls develop into Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe women. In our community, it has been noticed that many adolescent girls and women lack a full range of opportunities, are too often devalued and not to mention vulnerable just for being a female.

From this sparked the official launch of the Choma DREAMS Café. This is considered to be a safe haven for the young girls, between the ages of 10 and 24, of our Greater Eldorado Park community.

This is a pink container that put to use as an internet café, lecture room or even just a place to get away and breathe.

The sessions that are provided are called “Vhutshilo” sessions. Vhutshilo comes from one, of our indigenous languages, that is Venda.

These sessions at the Choma DREAMS Café is conducted by Raeesah Yusuf, and she gives two different Vhutshilo sessions, one for girls between the ages of 10 and 12 and the second one for young girls and women between the ages of 13 and 24.

On June 22, PUSH launched the Choma DREAMS Café, where they had an MC to host the launch.

The event entailed a Choma DREAMS Café questionnaire, a dance-off and a chance to spin the wheel where prizes were given away. Choma Dreams Café was sponsored by HIV/SA, Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, JSI Research and Training Institute and The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Shoneeze du Plessis said, “What I like about the DREAMS Café is that it teaches me to speak out about abuse, not to keep it in and I always come back here because whenever I have homework that I don’t understand, I come here to ask Mantwa Mabe for help.”

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