Soul Buddyz Club

Pat Grossmann

08 Mar 2023

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Background

Managed by the Soul City Institute for Social justice in South Africa, the Soul Buddyz Club programme provides a platform for children between the ages of 8 to 14 that “gives children a voice and promotes real action for children’s health and wellbeing.” ^Source By partaking in collaborative peer sessions and community projects through local clubs, the programme creates awareness about social and health issues among children, and provides valuable opportunities for children to develop crucial leadership skills. The programme is largely undertaken through school settings.

The Soul Buddyz Club programme was created in 2004, following the success of the Soul Buddyz TV mass media campaign (described below). The topics covered in the clubs include HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence, substance abuse, and children’s rights, among others. The goal of the Soul Buddyz Club is to provide children and youth with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and their communities from these issues, as well as to promote positive values such as respect, empathy, and responsibility.

How Soul Buddyz clubs work

Soul Buddyz clubs currently exist in over 6000 schools across eight provinces in South Africa ^Source, and have been praised for their effectiveness in reaching children in resource-constraint communities. Boys attending the Soul Buddyz Clubs also participate in the Boys Mentoring Programme, which primarily aims to challenge the “socialization of boys that associates masculinity with violence against women and girls” through a peer-to-peer mentorship. ^Source

The clubs are convened by trained facilitators, who received training through a 5-day accredited course from the Soul City Institute for Social justice. Each club has approximately 25 children. Club members meet on a regular basis to work through the Soul Buddyz Club materials, including the thematic unit guides which provide information on activities related to the current themes of the Soul Buddyz programme. During the meetings, members are encouraged to discuss and raise issues which appear in the Soul Buddyz Club newsletter and plan community projects accordingly. ^Source

Soul Buddyz clubs are graded according to their activity and successful completion of projects. Through undertaking such activities and projects, clubs earn points which are calculated at the end of year. According to the calculated points, clubs are then awarded a level ranging from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond.

The Soul Buddyz TV and radio series: “Tomorrow is ours”

The Soul Buddyz clubs owe their origin to the Soul Buddyz multimedia programme, which ran several series on South African TV and radio from 2000 to 2011. Also developed by the Soul City Institute for Social justice, the TV and radio series aimed to inspire and educate children between the age of 8 to 12 from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The first 5 seasons of Soul Buddyz followed the fictional lives of a group of children as they navigated various social and health challenges in their community. The show covers themes such as HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence, substance abuse, and placed strong emphasis on children’s rights. Soul Buddyz used emotional storytelling and engaging characters to explore these issues in a way that is accessible and relatable to young viewers.

Soul Buddyz Series 2 – Episode 2 – Karabo’s Story part 1

In 2008, a spin-off reality series called “Buddyz on the Move” was also launched. The series involved a reality TV show with young “Buddyz” visiting various Buddyz Clubs and working on local community projects in South Africa. Buddyz on the Move included Buddyz Club members in the production of the show, and included a dedicated and Buddyz Club branded magazine. ^Source

Buddyz on the Move (BOM): Super Buddyz – HIV prevention and support work in their community

The Soul Buddyz TV show was produced in partnership with South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Education.

“Soul City develops unit guides based on issues that are affecting the buddies themselves. We read correspondence and reports from the clubs that tell us what is going on their lives. Soul City then picks out the issues that are coming out the most and develops programming addressing those topics. The guide includes lessons for the facilitators and projects for the children to complete.”

– Lovemore Manjora, Soul City Children Projects Coordinator [Source: CDC]

Implementation and funding

The Soul Buddyz Club programme is primarily implemented by the Soul City Institute for Social justice, in collaboration with SABC Education, and the South African Department of Education.

Additional funders partners include the South African Department of Health, The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PEPFAR, Murray & Roberts, BP, MTN, and the UK Department for International Development.

Results

According to the December 2016 programme impact evaluation conducted by Genesis Analytics, ex-Soul Buddyz Club members were:

Less likely to have had sex before 15 years old (19% control vs. 12% case).
Less likely to have had sex before 18 years old (82% control vs. 70% case).
2.14 times more likely to have had only one partner in the past year.
1.68 times more likely to have used a condom at first sex compared to a control group.
1.87 times more likely to have used a condom at first sex. However, no significant difference in condom use at first sex for male ex-Buddyz.
2.92 times more likely to be HIV-negative.
More likely to have completed Grade 12 or higher.
2.7 times more likely to be employed compared to the control group.
4.8 times more likely to participate in community events compared to the control group.