Her Future Beyond the Streets will reach, support and equip highly marginalised young women on the streets of Durban, South Africa with the skills, support, knowledge and confidence needed to detox from substance misuse, leave street life and create a new life for themselves and their children.
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Thirty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa grapples with deep-rooted inequalities: 40% live in poverty, 46.1% of young people are unemployed, it has among the highest national rates of gender-based violence (GBV) and has witnessed a rapid increase in highly addictive drug misuse. Many young women are homeless because of GBV. Living in abandoned buildings with their children, drug misuse and GBV are daily realities and most are highly suspicious of organisations seeking to assist them.
uMthombo is a Durban based street child NGO. In 2024 they worked with 108 young women living on the streets. The outreach team goes out 3 x week to meet, befriend and understand their needs. They then set up group work sessions with them to look at their next steps. For those who want to leave the streets, or end substance misuse, uMthombo runs a series of residential camps. Once clean they are offered the chance to join uMthombo's supported independent living or home reintegration programmes.
