Petelson Adão Leitão, 22 years old, is a resident of Bela Vista district, Km 44. Early in life, significant challenges came his way. His parents' separation forced him to live with his brother. However, in July 2023, his life took an even more challenging turn.
While working at a company, Petelson had an accident. The operational routine required workers to stand on a paper compaction machine. In a moment of carelessness, his leg tragically got caught in the machine, resulting in the loss of toes on his left foot.
After emergency treatment and surgery, Petelson returned home, but the pain was not just physical. The lack of psychological support made his emotional recovery difficult.
That's when he discovered the Safeguarding Youth Program - SYP, whose main objective is to promote Comprehensive Sexuality Education to adolescents and young people aged 10 to 24, including content on the Community Resilience Model in some sessions.
The Community Resilience Model content is taught by SYP peer educators at the Refugee Women Support Center in Viana and School 6015 in Km 44, Icolo e Bengo, helping adolescents and young people build resilience in the face of challenges through psychological and emotional support.
Today, Petelson is an example of resilience. For the past two months, he has been attending SYP sessions at School 6015 in Km 44, Icolo e Bengo. Participating in the SYP sessions has been a turning point in his life.
I learned to deal with these circumstances and accept the new reality," he said.
Attending SYP sessions not only helped him overcome the trauma of the accident but also deal with his parents' separation.
With the tools he has acquired, he now also thinks about helping others in challenging circumstances. "From now on, with this training, I intend to always apply the knowledge and also help people in need," Petelson Adão Leitão states with conviction.
The United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, has been implementing the Safeguarding Youth Programme - SYP - in Angola since 2021, whose main objective is to empower adolescents and young people aged between 10 and 24 to protect themselves from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), including HIV, early and unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, early marriages, gender-based violence and harmful cultural practices, while promoting gender equality standards and protective behaviours. SYP is being implemented in 12 southern African countries, including Angola, in the provinces of Luanda, Cunene, Namibe, Huíla and Cuando Cubango.
Text and photograph: Dorivaldo Caetano, Social Media Associate
