‘Girl With Lipstick’ (GWL) is a new programme founded by Mpho Mahlatsi who works closely with Masechaba Theoha to help young girls who disappear from their homes for days on end without letting their parents know their whereabouts.
Theoha said, “Parents would come to the station and report that their children have gone missing because they are afraid to go home and account for their actions.”
According to Mahlatsi, many of these girls yearn for attention from their parents, which is the reason they disappear without informing their parents where they are going.
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She said, “I had to start this programme because our young girls think their future depends on someone else and there are certain behaviours which are prevalent in our communities that play a huge role in their actions.”
“The problem might be how we raise our children and how often we sit down and talk to them about the realities of life. Gone are the days where sex talks were taboo discussions in our homes.”
GWL was launched in December last year, which is also the period when a high number of missing girls are reported. A number of speakers were in attendance at the launch to share their experiences with the girls.
Mahlatsi said that the reason she chose ‘Girl With Lipstick’ as the programme’s name is that girls tend to hide their pain with makeup-looking all beautiful on the outside but people don’t know the real person behind the makeup.
When Theoha took to the stage, she said, “These are our girls and most of them are below the age of 18 years old. Two of them have dropped out of school and are displaying behavioural problems-these are the challenges we face with young girls in our communities.”
“Teachers and parents have given up on them because of their errant behaviour and in many instances, they have not ascertained what the root causes are.”
Ntokozo Mkhize from Good Stories said to the girls at the launch, “You need to love yourself before sharing your love with someone else.”
He added, “Boys are really good at deceiving and destroying you, be it through their words or actions. Make informed choices about decisions which could be life-changing, because anything you do has consequences and know that your perception is your reality, channel your mind.”
Psychologist Mojalefa Nyaka said, “Develop a character because it reveals who you are it is all upon you to decide which character you want to be. Always know that everything you do has an advantage and a disadvantage; life has a balance-the people that hate you for no reason are equal to those you love,” he said.
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