Kwazulu-natal: The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has conducted an outreach programme in KwaZulu-Natal aimed at promoting holistic development and providing safe, constructive alternatives for youth engagement outside the classroom. The initiative is part of the NYDA's broader campaign to deliver services directly to young people, especially in rural areas, townships, and informal settlements, focusing on poverty alleviation, combating youth unemployment, and creating pathways to empowerment.
According to South African Government News Agency, the programme included oversight visits to NYDA grant recipients and youth-headed indigent households in uMzinto. In partnership with the Umdoni Local Municipality, the NYDA will support two young unemployed single mothers who were visited during the outreach. One will be enrolled in a business management training programme with a pathway to start-up funding, along with job placement support, while the second will receive assistance to return to school and will be enrolled in both Local Economic Development initiatives and the National Youth Service programme for immediate socio-economic relief.
NYDA Executive Chairperson, Dr. Sunshine Myende, addressed the young women facing challenges such as teenage pregnancy, encouraging them to seize the opportunities provided to empower themselves and shape their futures. This visit aligns with the NYDA's strategic vision of fostering an inclusive, youth-centred development agenda in line with the National Development Plan and the broader national commitment to socio-economic transformation.
The outreach also aimed to honor the legacy of the late former Executive Deputy Chairperson, Bavelile Hlongwa. The informal settlements visited are significant as they are the communities where Hlongwa was raised, with her memory and legacy continuing through the NYDA's work to uplift and empower young South Africans.
Dr. Myende emphasized the agency's commitment to reaching all young people, asserting that access to skills, support, and opportunities is essential for breaking the cycle of poverty, even if not every young person attends university.