At a glance
The DREAMS program, supported by CDC and PEPFAR, provides young women with the tools to reduce HIV risk, strengthen families, and mobilize communities for change. This story highlights how the DREAMS program changed the life of a young woman in South Africa.
About the Girls Club and DREAMS
The Girls Club
The Girls Club is an initiative supported by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the DREAMS program. Community Media Trust (CMT), an implementing partner of CDC, supports the Girls Club in Eva's hometown of Ekurhuleni District, South Africa.
Club members meet weekly to discuss and receive mentoring on topics such as sexual and reproductive health and economics. During the economic strengthening sessions, they are taught financial literacy, job readiness, and how to start a business. Those interested in entrepreneurship propose a business plan for an idea they believe will work in their community. Well-thought-out plans receive R1000 (approximately $68 USD) of seed funding.
DREAMS
HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) ages 15-24 in eastern and southern Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, girls also account for 71 percent of new annual HIV infections among adolescents. Furthermore, adolescent girls are more than twice as likely to live with HIV than adolescent boys of the same age.
DREAMS provides young women with evidence-based interventions to reduce HIV risk, strengthen families, and mobilize communities for change. In South Africa, CDC supports DREAMS programming in 10 districts spanning four provinces. The program has reached over 305,000 AGYW in South Africa. Additionally, nearly 85,000 AGYW completed a core package of prevention services in 2022.
As a result of DREAMS, we see young women like Eva encouraged to be determined, resilient, and empowered.
Eva's story
At 21, Eva and her family relied on social grants and food parcels from the church to meet their basic needs. Soon after she joined the Girls Club, Eva and her family's fortunes changed for the better.
After participating in a training on how to start a business, Eva eagerly submitted her own business plan. She promptly received seed funding on July 1, 2021. Using the grant, she opened a vegetable stall on a street corner near her home. In the first month, she earned a profit of R355 (approximately $24 USD). After four months, she increased her profit by including crisps and candy at her stall.
Thinking back to what motivated her to complete the training and submit a business plan, Eva explained, "It took so much more than just filling in the template." Adding, "At first, I wasn't sure if I was ready to take up such a huge responsibility of focusing on a business and being at the vegetable stand the entire day. I didn't know if people would come to buy or if I would sell all the stock, or if people were going to make fun of me for selling vegetables at such a young age. After I spoke to my parents about the opportunity to start a business, they were willing to assist me. That gave me the courage to soldier on with the idea. I then completed the business plan template with assistance from the CMT mentor and the Girls Club facilitator."
She estimated that she currently makes R3,000 (approximately $203 USD) for profit every month. She plans to continue investing in herself by furthering her education. Eva is also determined to grow her business into a formal fruit and vegetable store.