South Africa

Tiko in South Africa

Total lives impacted

Total lives impacted

Total services delivered

Total services delivered

Family planning and contraception services

HIV services

Mental health services

The need

South Africa as a whole is experiencing four colliding health epidemics: HIV and tuberculosis, chronic illness and mental health, injury and violence, and maternal, neonatal, and child mortality. For the country’s youth population, these challenges are heightened. 63% of youth are unemployed and for those living in multidimensional poverty, lack of opportunities exacerbate existing health, economic and well-being challenges.

In terms of sexual and reproductive health, South Africa experiences a high unmet need for services and products, which leads to high rates of unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion and school dropouts. 31% of all 15 to 24-year-olds have an unmet contraceptive need. The national adolescent pregnancy rate in South Africa is 6.8%, with 58% of all unwanted pregnancies ending in unsafe abortion.

Our work in South Africa

Tiko launched in South Africa in 2023 to respond to the growing health crisis facing adolescents and young people. Our country programme focuses on providing access to services across sexual and reproductive health, HIV treatment and prevention and mental health. To holistically meet the needs of South Africa’s youth population, Tiko is now offering employability and entrepreneurial skills training opportunities in partnership with TechnoServe South Africa.

South Africa is the first country in Tiko’s operations to work with the public sector only. In October 2023, we signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) to onboard their clinics as Tiko partnered service providers, and continue to engage with both regional and national government to advance access to care for adolescents and young people.