Young Heroes

01/10/2026

Youth 4 Change: the turnaround is already showing

A few months ago, many of these young people were at home, sending out applications and hearing nothing back. Today they are peer educators, community ambassadors and interns, standing in front of classrooms, at bus ranks and at the Trade Fair, serving their own communities. These testimonies are only a glimpse. They come from more than 300 young people across Eswatini who are now in placements through the Youth 4 Change project. Every one of them earned their place. To get here, they took up and completed courses on the Yoma platform, building skills in SRHR, child protection, digital skills and more, then carried those skills into real workplaces. Listen to them in their own words: "Y4C/ Yoma didn't just give me an internship; it gave me a starting point."

This is what happens when someone believes in young people and backs that belief with real opportunity. We are deeply proud, and deeply grateful to Unicef Eswatini, whose vision, investment and unwavering commitment to the young people of this country made this possible. UNICEF Eswatini did not just fund a project. They opened a door, and more than 300 young emaSwati have walked through it with confidence, purpose and a future they can see.Our thanks also to Yoma World for the platform that turns learning into opportunity, and to Eswatini National Youth Council for standing with the youth of Eswatini every step of the way.

The story is still being written, and there are more young heroes to come. Ministry of Sport, Culture & Youth Affairs

30/09/2026

29/09/2026

20 Years of Impact. 20 Years of Young Heroes.

On Friday, 25 September 2026, Young Heroes gathered at Happy Valley Hotel, Ezulwini, to commemorate 20 years of walking alongside children, young people, families and communities across Eswatini. It was a day to look back at where we started, recognise the people who built the journey, celebrate the lives touched along the way, and look ahead to the work that still lies before us.

Young Heroes Board Chairperson Armand Perry delivered the keynote address, while long-serving employee Cebsile Zwane reflected on the organisation's journey from the perspective of those who have helped shape it from within. Young Heroes Executive Director Khulekani Magongo took guests through the Young Heroes 20-year timeline, from our beginnings as a NERCHA programme in 2006 to the organisation Young Heroes is today. Zwakele Dlamini and Nozipho Mkhatshwa reflected on the integrated Healthy, Educated, Safe and Stable approach that continues to guide our work.

The commemoration was also enriched by reflections from partners who have been part of the Young Heroes story, including the Young Heroes Foundation USA, NERCHA, MTN Bushfire, and many others. Former NERCHA Executive Director Dr Derek von Wissell and current NERCHA Executive Director Dr Nondumiso Ncube joined the platform in reflecting on the partnerships and vision that have sustained the organisation over two decades.

Most importantly, we heard from beneficiaries themselves. Their testimonies reminded us that behind every programme, every partnership and every number is a person, a child staying in school, a young person building a future, a family accessing support, and a community becoming stronger.

We were honoured to share this milestone with partners from across government, civil society and the development community, including Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Eswatini , Unicef Eswatini, World Vision Eswatini, URC, Jhpiego Eswatini, National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS, Eswatini, News, JA, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, SAfAIDS, UNIADS, Taiwan ICDF, Likusasa Letfu, the Royal Eswatini Police Service, and many others who have walked this journey with us.

Twenty years later, the work continues.
( Snaps are random)

22/09/2026

Young Heroes at VISTA 2026 | Cape Town, South Africa

We are proud to celebrate the Young Heroes team as they present their research and implementation science abstracts at the 1st HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Health Science of Implementation Conference (VISTA 2026), taking place in Cape Town from 21–23 September 2026.

Our team is contributing valuable evidence from Eswatini, sharing research and practical experiences focused on strengthening HIV prevention, testing, treatment adherence, viral load re-suppression, PMTCT, and community linkages to care.

Congratulations to our presenters:

Themba Matsebula – Strategic Information Manager
Triple Elimination in Focus: Disparities and Missed Opportunities in HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B Testing Among Lactating Young Mothers in Eswatini Guided Poster

Zwakele Dlamini – Community Care and Treatment Advisor
Impact of Unconditional Cash Grants Integrated with Stepped-up Adherence Support on Viral Load Re-Suppression among Children and Adolescents Living with HIV in Eswatini - Oral Presentation

Dual-Layer Community Support for PMTCT: Reducing HIV Seroconversion Among HIV-Exposed Infants in Eswatini— Guided Poster

Qondile Sikhondze – Community Linkages Officer
Improving Linkages to Care: Reducing Delays in Community-Based Referral Systems in Eswatini — Guided Poster

We are proud to see Eswatini evidence and community-centered approaches represented on an international platform and grateful to our team for their continued commitment to improving outcomes for children, adolescents, mothers, and families affected by HIV.

Proudly representing Young Heroes and Eswatini on the global stage.

17/09/2026

WE’RE HIRING: PROJECT OFFICER : LITSEMBA PROJECT

Young Heroes is seeking a skilled and committed Project Officer to join the Litsemba Project and support the delivery of interventions promoting children’s development and wellbeing.

View the full job description:
https://tinyurl.ee/MuFRT

Submit your cover letter, detailed CV and certified copies of qualifications to:
[email protected]

Use the subject line: Project Officer

Application deadline: 24 September 2026, COB

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

16/09/2026

12/09/2026

20 years of impact. 20 years rooted in communities.

Young Heroes staff concluded the community build-up activities for our 20th Anniversary commemoration at Ngololweni Umphakatsi under Sandleni Inkhundla, where we joined the construction of a home for an elderly woman caring for 14 vulnerable children at kaLukhele Homestead.. From painting at Mabamba NCP, to gardening at Ludziwane NCP, and now helping build a home at Ngololweni, these activities have brought us back to the heart of what Young Heroes has stood for over the past 20 years: working alongside communities to strengthen the environments in which children, young people and families live and grow. At kaLukhele, staff worked side by side, moving materials, mixing and building, with our Executive Director also taking up the shovel and joining the work.
As we move towards our 20th Anniversary commemoration, we carry with us the communities that have shaped our journey.
One Young Heroes. 20 Years Inspired to Unleash Potential.

11/09/2026

More about today, where young heroes joined hands with Matsapha Municipal Council and UNICEF in taking action about climate change and nature conservation at Matsapha Silent Park.

Young Heroes staff, YOMA graduates of Climate change courses and more Young People from different stakeholders and communities today took part in this initiative of taking climate action into reality.

Of the beautiful day that started with a walk from Town council building to the Silent park where all the work was taking place, we sealed the day with UNICEF issuing certificates to our YOMA graduates who took on climate courses and also availed to turn theory into action today.

11/09/2026

Behind the YOMA scans, certificates and incentives, this is how serious internships get for our Y4C students.

Climate change in action, now that we have enrolled and learned something from our interesting YOMA platform, this is how we can be of service to our communities with the knowledge as the Youth of Eswatini.