(Johannesburg, South Africa) – Ibis Reproductive Health, South Africa office is excited to announce a partnership with AMAZE.org, a project of Advocates for Youth implemented in collaboration with organizations around the world. AMAZE.org harnesses the power of digital media to provide adolescents and youth globally with free access to medically accurate, age-appropriate, affirming, and honest comprehensive sexuality education, in addition to resources for parents and teachers.
Ibis Reproductive Health is a global research organization that drives change through bold, rigorous research and principled partnerships that advance sexual and reproductive autonomy, choices, and health worldwide. Through this partnership, Ibis will lead and further advance efforts to support organizations and individuals in sub-Saharan Africa to explore, integrate, develop, adapt, and disseminate AMAZE short, animated videos and related resources that address comprehensive sexuality education topics like puberty, healthy relationships, sexual violence, and pregnancy and STIs, including HIV. Ibis will also incorporate AMAZE content into its current mmoho project to expand reach to young people who have no internet access.
“We are honored to be selected as the AMAZE Africa Regional Lead Partner, which will allow us to expand our work to highlight lived realities in the region in line with our Africa strategy,” said Tshegofatso Bessenaar, Director of Southern Africa Programs, who heads Ibis’s Africa region work out of the South Africa office in Johannesburg. “We’ve learned from our work that young people are eager for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health resources that give them the power and information to lead healthy lives. This partnership will allow us to reach young people in their diversity across the region and engage them meaningfully, including through the AMAZE Youth Ambassador program that will roll out in the coming months.”
With more than 60 million views on YouTube, AMAZE offers over 500 videos for very young adolescents, youth, parents, educators, and health care professionals on various comprehensive sexuality topics like puberty, menstruation, and STIs, including HIV, among others. To date, approximately 55 of these videos have been adapted and translated into 10 languages in East and Southern Africa, and this partnership is going to see the number grow higher.
“Language and context play a big role in access to comprehensive sexuality education resources in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in communities where English is not the first or national language. With this partnership, we hope to support organizations across the region to integrate, subtitle, dub, and adapt existing AMAZE videos, as well as develop new videos on topics that are of particular relevance to the region,” said Pearl Gahwera, AMAZE Global Partnerships Fellow at Advocates for Youth. “We also understand that barriers to access to the internet and technology might make it difficult to access AMAZE resources on YouTube or in video format so we are keen to explore offline and non-video formats like comic books and posters, that AMAZE videos can be adapted into. We are delighted to welcome Ibis to the AMAZE family.”
Media Contact:
Jewelle Methazia
jmethazia@ibisreproductivehealth.org
+27 (0)78 585 6051
www.ibisreproductivehealth.org
www.amaze.org/africa