Break Time Buddies are making an impact in South Africa. Before becoming a Break Time Buddy, 23-year-old college student Siyamthemba Ndimande was worried about finding work in a region with high unemployment rates. He was relieved when a friend who works for INMED South Africa invited him to apply for a Break Time Buddy position.
Break Time Buddies is part of INMED’s Health in Action program supported by the Mondelēz International Foundation. The program recruits unemployed youth who have graduated secondary school and trains them to lead fun physical education activities during daily recess time at 116 primary schools in the provinces of Eastern Cape and Gauteng. The Buddies also teach lessons on nutrition and healthy lifestyles.
Although Siyamthemba was not an expert in health education or working with children, he threw his hat into the ring and was hired as a Break Time Buddy for Orlando schools in Soweto, and received thorough training to fulfill his important new role. Siyamthemba’s enthusiasm is transforming the lives of not only the children but his own as well. “I love teaching learners about how to live a healthy lifestyle, and have improved my own lifestyle through the constant training I have received at INMED South Africa,” he says. “Watching the learners work so hard to master new skills every day has really inspired me to work harder to achieve my own goals.”
For more information on Break Time Buddies and Health in Action South Africa, visit https://inmed.org/what-we-do/health-and-nutrition/health-in-action-south-africa/
#childhoodobesity #childhoodmalnutrition #healthinaction
