ILANGA LOKULUNGA SEIZES AN OPPORTUNITY TO EMPOWER YOUTH IN LUSIKISIKI

By: Masibonge Somatyala

Twitter: @masibonge02

Email: masibongekheswa@gmail.com

In their line of work as youth empowerment group, Ilanga lokulunga has lost count of how many lives and talents of young people they lost to drug and alcohol abuse.They took a stand for the youth by holding a youth empowerment program in a rural town known as Lusikisiki in Eastern Cape (EC).This program has two purposes which are to educate youth about healthy balanced lifestyle and educate them on how to adapt and use technology to their advantage. 

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Many people from different villages of Lusikisiki attended this program to witness and grace the good work that is done by the empowerment group. They held thisprogram to empower youth on the basis of living healthy balanced life style and how to adapt in the digital world.

The spokesperson of Ilanga lokulunga group Mr Xola Yoyo said, “As people who grew up in the rural area we know the difficulties faced by people and that is why we decided to hold this program here. People in our province have no access to sources of information on healthy balanced lifestyle and that is why we decided to intervene and educate them. We want them to be informed about it and take good decisions.”

Listen to Mr Xola Yoyo sharing the reasons why they decided to hold this program in Lusikisiki.

They shared different strategies with the youth about how they can live a healthy balanced lifestyle and stay away from drugs and alcohol. Mr Vuyisani Mkhaliphi, the secretary of Ilanga Lokulunga group told people that living a balanced healthy lifestyle means to eat a balanced diet, getting a regular exercise, avoid tobacco and drug consumption and get plenty of rest.

Treasurer of the empowerment group Ms Smiselo Nxumalo advised people who attended the programme to stay away from alcohol and drugs because that is where they lose their future and lives.

Listen the following audio of Ms Smiselo Nxumalo explaining the reasons why the youth in Eastern Cape is abandoning healthy balanced life style and choose alcohol and drug abuse.

https://soundcloud.com/masibonge-sinebali/voice-001-m4a?si=bde5873783784c26a4b19144c0cd712c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

According to Ilanga Lokulunga group if the youth in Pondoland (EC) was exposed to information about healthy lifestyle there would be no high rates of youth deaths,arrests, and dropouts in Eastern Cape rural areas.“Our children dropout immediately after completing their matric even if they performed well because they do not know how to apply in universities and colleges because they are unable to make online applications. 

"They have no people to help them and that causes a great wall between them and their dreams,” Treasurer of the empowerment group Ms Simiselo Nxumalo added.

 the empowerment group employed four people who will help students in communities with anything that is related to the use of internet and technology devices. Those people are also employed to train them to use internet by themselves so it will be easy for them to get information online.