Word From The CEO: Choma Magazine Turns 10!

On Monday, the 31st of July 2023, we celebrated a big milestone: Our #ChomaMagazineTurned10! We are proud to celebrate Choma’s 10 years in service.

Yashmita Naidoo, HIVSA Chief Executive Officer

So, a few things you probably didn’t know about Choma:

• Our very own Charlize Theron was present at the launch of Choma on the 31st of July 2013;
• When Choma was conceptualised, it initially sat under a programme area called “Bokang Batsha ”, which means “Celebrating Young People”.
• Since inception, Choma has interacted with more that 5 million users, many of whom are now young adults in the 25 to 30 age group, and now grappling with motherhood;
• Between 2013 and 2015, the highest number of users were accessing Choma through a social media platform that was called MXIT. How many of us remember MXIT 😊?
• The Choma Dreams Cafés were launched to take Choma online to an offline safe space.

We are proud to see the journey that Choma has travelled to date and the role that each and every one of you has played in contributing to this growth. We are proud of the contribution Choma has made to the many lives of adolescent girls and young women, as well as the adolescent boys and young men that have walked alongside their sisters and partners towards an HIV free generation.

On Monday, the 31st of July 2023, #ChomaMagazineTurned10! 

We haven’t walked this journey alone. We have walked with amazing partners at community level and corporate level, as well as within the donor community, all of whom trusted Choma to be the instrument that contributes to a reduction in the high levels of HIV infection in girls and young women.

Choma Magazine is committed to gender equality, reduction in high HIV transmission rates in girls and young women, as well as seeing women gain economic freedom through achieving their highest aspirations in all spheres of their lives.