Special projects

#Keready

Keready is a fully digital communication campaign supporting teenagers and youth with information and care when and where they need it, on social media and on WhatsApp. Keready was launched in 2022 during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide judgement-free health information to youth and later evolved into a health movement taking health services directly to youth through mobile health clinics, now run by the Department of Health. Today, Keready is part of the Hold My Hand national campaign with a focus on teen identity, agency and connectedness, all grounded by youth voices and input.

The disconnect

This explains why the project exists

Teenagers are a huge part of South Africa’s future, yet too often they’re left out of decisions that shape their lives. Trust in “official” messages is low, and services don’t always speak to what boys, girls and non-binary youth actually face day to day. Many young people prefer getting straight answers from people they trust, peers and professionals who speak like real people. That’s the gap Keready fills: reliable, judgment-free information in plain language, delivered on the platforms young people already use.

Services for teens tend to be fragmented, and capacity must be strengthened to provide and consolidate teen-centric services that improve overall health and lifelong wellbeing of the approximately 10 million teens living in South Africa.

The majority of South Africans are stuck in an inequality trap with wealth concentrated in the hands of a few. Most are stuck in intergenerational loops of exclusion with few chances to escape. Breaking this cycle requires a fundamental change in life trajectories, starting in the womb.

Think of a Möbius strip – just one twist in the circle allows you to trace a completely different pattern. Instead of being stuck on the inside of a loop, you emerge on the outside. In the same way, escaping the inequality trap requires a fundamental twist to set South Africa on a new path.

The twist in thinking

This explains how the project approaches problems

Keready is digital-first and seeks to encourage information-seeking behaviour, active citizenry, and the development of identity and agency among young people on the digital platforms they use and engage with. They:

Speak teen: clear, relatable content across WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
Keep it human: a dedicated support team and Keready communicators, counsellors, nurses, social workers, answering questions with no jargon and no judgement.
Are present where it counts. We are growing our WhatsApp community and using social content, live chats and radio to reach teens nationally.
Link to care: guiding young people to the nearest services, hotlines and support when they need more than information.

From 2022 to 2024, they also ran Keready Mobile Clinics to bring services closer. That pilot proved the model and was officially handed over to the Department of Health at the end of 2024. Keready continues to improve public services by sharing what it learns about trending youth issues from the WhatsApp line with key partners, including the NDoH.

The trajectory change

This explains what the project is doing to make a difference

What they have achieved:

Monthly reach of over 1 million online.
A WhatsApp community of 130 000+ young people and growing daily.
4 million+ clinical consultations delivered through Keready Mobile Clinics.
1 million+ learners engaged through school and community activations.
Proactive one-on-one engagement with teens and young people.
Closely working with NGOs helps to drive interest and uptake of services.

What this means now:

Always-on support: WhatsApp Keready on 060 019 0000 for judgement-free answers from real people who understand teenagers.
Content that sticks: Fresh, teen-led topics every week: mental health, relationships, sexual and reproductive health, study tips, substance use, navigating clinics and more.
Stronger links to care: They’ll point you to services close to you, or connect you with partners who can help.

Trying to change life trajectories is ambitious and profound. It requires us to radically influence the lives of individuals and to be part of changing the circumstances in which they live.