About Us

WHO WE ARE

bumb’INGOMSO – isiXhosa for ‘Mould the future’ – is a multi-faceted HIV-prevention project that combines behavioural, biomedical, social and economic interventions to support, motivate and inspire adolescent girls and young women to reduce high-risk behaviour and make healthy life choices, in order to reduce the incidence of HIV infections.

Launched in 2016, bumb’INGOMSO addresses the individual, interpersonal and structural factors that drive the vulnerability of girls and young women through programmes that include leadership development, tackling gender-based violence, improving the delivery of youth-friendly health services and connecting young people to economic opportunities.

bumb’INGOMSO is a development project of the National Department of Health (NDoH) and is co-financed by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW and DGMT, which is also the executing agent. It is currently implemented across 18 wards in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality and Amathole District Municipality in partnership with the Small Projects Foundation, Beyond Zero, Masimanyane Women’s Rights International and Masibumbane Development Organisation.

MEET THE TEAMS

Behaviour Change Communication

Health Intervention

GBV

Economic Opportunities

IkhweloLethu

Psychosocial support

Lingomso Youth Centre

MEET THE TEAM - BI CORE

Nokuthula Futwa

Project Director

Tau Matseliso

Chief Operations Officer

Nthateng Mhlambiso

Senior Communications Manager

Pumela Zaleni

Monitoring & Evaluation Manager

Spokazi Tyiwani

Communications Manager

Jermaine Hartley

Financial Accountant

Esethu Sotheni

Project Coordinator

Ndilinde Mlakalaka

Project Administrator

Jonelle Bodenhorst

Office Assistant

Sikelelwa Malgas

Housekeeper

Nomasango Gxiba

HR Officer

Background

More than 8 million South Africans live with HIV, amounting to 13.7% of the total population. And, among 15–49-year-olds, an estimated 19.5% of the population is HIV positive. If you look closer at the statistics, it’s clear that women bear the brunt of infection in young adulthood, accounting for the majority of infections among 15–24-year-olds. This is largely the result of sexual relationships with older men. The high incidence of HIV infection among young women in the five years after they leave school suggests that this age group is not as amenable to behaviour change programmes for a variety of reasons.

This may be due to adolescent girls and young women experiencing family pressures, such as the expectation to contribute financially, or societal expectations around womanhood. When not in school, adolescent girls and young women are also more vulnerable to the spectrum of gender-based violence – from subtle sexual coercion to full-blown domestic violence.

Also, young people in South Africa live in a highly polarised country where for the majority, day-to-day choice and opportunity are severely constrained and prospects of real improvement are poor. Feeling trapped at the bottom of the pile can predispose young people to high-risk sexual behaviours, such as inconsistent use of condoms and relationships with older men.

The high incidence of HIV infection among young women in the five years after they leave school suggests that this age group is not as amenable to behaviour change programmes for a variety of reasons. This may be due to adolescent girls and young women experiencing family pressures, such as the expectation to contribute financially, or societal expectations around womanhood. When not in school, adolescent girls and young women are also more vulnerable to the spectrum of gender-based violence – from subtle sexual coercion to full-blown domestic violence.

Conclusions of the bumb’INGOMSO (BI) household survey 2018 showed that :

Employment and education opportunities post school are scarce, and not being employed or in education are key factors associated with negative behaviours such as taking drugs or abusing alcohol, which increases the likelihood of engaging in risky sexually behaviour.
Young women have good knowledge of safe sex, but lack fully comprehensive knowledge of HIV, some believing in myths around the spread of HIV, e.g. that it can be spread through witchcraft or through getting bitten by a mosquito.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) as well as controlling behaviour in relationships is prevalent and young women do not have enough support from their communities and from established support structures to report these incidents and seek help, and within relationships it is often their partners that determine whether sex is safe.
Being accepted in one’s community (belonging) is incredibly important – for young women to the extent that they will often engage in negative or risky behaviours to achieve this sense of belonging.

Youth is a period of transition from dependence to independence and autonomy. Adolescence can be a time of both disorientation and discovery. The transitional period can raise questions of independence and identity; as adolescents cultivate their sense of self, they may face difficult choices about academics, friendship, sexuality, gender identity, drugs, and alcohol.

This period of finding self is an opportunity for bumb’INGOMSO to implement interventions that will shape young people’s attitudes through providing information on the choices available to them, equipping them with skills to sustain their lives, supporting them life challenges, motivating and inspiring them to live to their full potential – for them to: #BeMoreDaring, #BeMoreVital, #BeMoreDefiant, #BeMorePlugged-In.

The change that bumb’INGOMSO wants to see is an environment where young people have a sense of IDENTITY- knowing who they are and how they relate to others, including a sense of self-worth and potential, PURPOSE - with a feeling of hope for the future, AGENCY - that will see young people accessing services required to maintain good health, VITALITY- with young people adopting health seeking behaviour, including accessing health services when needed and BELONGING, - as young people feel that they are able achieve their objectives through access to services and opportunities in their communities.