I must start with a heartfelt thank you to our brilliant men and women in purple, the board of loveLife and all partners for their unprecedented dedication to loveLife’s cause in the past year. A special gratitude goes to our donors, for making it happen: keeping the youth safe, healthy, fit and active, adequately informed and skilling the youth of South Africa. Yes! this past year was marked by both triumphs and struggles, but we made it through, with celebrations of growths, milestones, good practices and lessons learnt from the challenges.
As we embark into the new year, we are excited at what the future holds. Looking at the three strategic pillars that the GNU has agreed upon, i). growing the economy and creating jobs, ii). Reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living, and iii). Strengthening the capacity of the state, we see how the youth of South Africa largely feature and remain central on each of the strategic goals. Grater involvement of the young people remain pivotal in creating the South Africa we want. We need to shout out loud, now more than ever, to not be left behind, in the processes towards achievement of these goals.
At this momentous time marked by the assumption of the G20 presidency by South Africa, let us all make the most of this period, by ensuring that the hope of South African youth is rekindled. The government has pledged to build partnerships across all sectors, and loveLife like other civil society organization looks forward to this period, as a turning point for the youth of South Africa, to get the opportunity to participate meaningfully in activities aimed at improving access to education and skills development in the most dire mandates of todays’ world – climate change, just energy and sustainability, access to health, safety and protection, especially protection of youth girls and women from gender-based violence and femicide and access to opportunities for economic growth, and jobs, without prejudice of work experience.
loveLife remains committed to advocating for the youth of South Africa and supporting all efforts to allow the young people to thrive. We cannot cease our call to action to all who can meaningfully contribute to the much-needed change; government, civil society, corporates and individuals, to come together to holistically improve the lives of the youth, who indeed are the future of our motherland.
May the much promising year of 2025, bring us all the success we want, and the South Africa we want.
To all our beneficiaries, the young people of this land, may we enter into 2025, hopeful and ready to make it a better year. Let us celebrate the new year responsibly and set goals for ourselves that we will work together to achieve.
Wishing you a prosperous new year!
