Sivuselele Development Organisation

I apply for the prize in order to advance our safety at circumcision campaign in our province, should I win I would get the necessary vehicle/s and staff who can help us to advance the awareness cause as well as the bush tracking of young males at circumcision in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Staff payments will be done for the job they do in raising awareness. Sufficient training and engaging Leaders in the Province towards adapting to the changes of times concerning the ritual is of utmost importance and shall be done using the funds. Then I shall also create a sustainable development plan, e.g., Agriculture, Fuel station or student accommodation, in such a way that the programs can run freely on their own at the absence of a Funding Organization. Schools and community engagement campaigns shall I put upfront using the funds. The Bush tracking budget would also be increased to reach the maximum number of initiates who need medical help, be it to bring medicines to them or take them to the hospitals or closest health-care facilities.  

I am the founder of a Non-Profit Organization named Sivuselele Development Organization, am a B.A. (Language and Communication) Graduate from the University of the Western Cape. I started off travelling as an Exchange Student at from the University of the Western Cape to the University of Konstanz (Germany); I have seen various nationalities and creeds in countries like Switzerland, Italy, France, Ireland, Czech Republic, Austria, USA, South Korea and England.

The only purpose of the existence of this NPO, is to assist Eastern Cape Province to achieve zero deaths at the Traditional Initiation (Circumcision). Present day challenges like Climate Change, Drug Abuse, and Chronic illnesses have lead to hundreds of young men losing their lives every June and December. We believe that the time for this unnecessary loss of life to end is long overdue, thus did we take up this initiative to assist our local Traditional Chiefs as well as local clinics in utilizing all available resources to bring medical care to Initiates in need, as well as transporting Initiates in need of Medical Care to facilities during season. I recently published a book about our work entitled 'The Forgotten Children of the Rainbow Nation', available at amazon.com

We are addressing the problem of young men dying at circumcision schools across the province in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. More than 800 young men have died in this ritual since around 2006, and more than 1000 of those who survive have had their manhood amputated due to gangrene and sepsis, leading to suicide. Among the contributing factors there is Climate change (the ritual is performed in the mountains, heatstroke occurs in summer and hypothermia sets in in Winter). Then there are the chronic illnesses whose medication is still taboo according to the culture, and lastly we observe drug withdrawals that lead to imminent death as well.  Our organization is a Non Profit Organization that travels the mountains during season in order to bring the necessary medical care, off season we travel to schools and communities to raise awareness about these problems, in such a way that the people can take control of similar situations on their own in the case of need, where there is no NPO or Medical Officer in sight.

Our work is unique because we raise awareness prior to the circumcision season, in that way we promote safety, proactive Leadership as opposed to reactive leadership where things go wrong in the mountains and tis only then that people take control. We also own old vehicles that attract attention to the campaigns on the streets, these also give the young men an ability to dream further and in the course of time eventually change the culture for the better of their lives beyond the present status quo. 

We are busy changing an old culture or tradition that is busy killing young men and destroying their future by amputating their manhood.

1st step is to actively go to the mountains and implement medical care to young men in need.

2nd step is to campaign in the schools and communities to highlight the dangers involved as well as to implement changes themselves in an attempt to evolve this tradition into modern times once and for all.

3rd step is to create jobs for our community mobilisers in such a way that the project can run on its own in the absence of a funder or sponsor.