South Africa: Breaking Taboos, Building Futures
Love Land is transforming sexual and mental health education by creating safe, playful and stigma-free spaces for young people to learn, ask questions, and challenge taboos—turning confusion into confidence and preparing youth to navigate adolescence with knowledge and agency.
Across South Africa, many young people lack access to safe, accurate and age-appropriate sexual and mental health education. At LEAP School Langa, learners described confusion and fear around puberty, menstruation, consent, and mental health. Traditional Life Orientation lessons lacked relevance, and cultural taboos limited open dialogue. Taboo breaker, a women-led public benefit organisation, created Love Land—a 3-in-1 evidence-based learning ecosystem combining an interactive board game, mobile app and educator training platform to respond to this need.
The project aimed to increase accurate knowledge, build confidence, reduce stigma and equip educators with inclusive facilitation skills. Through co-creation, learners and teachers tested the tools, shaping visuals, scenarios and language to ensure cultural relevance and emotional safety. Learners participated in board game sessions where they explored consent, puberty, mental health, healthy relationships and gender-based violence in a playful, safe and engaging way. Many expressed relief and empowerment, noting that they no longer felt alone or ashamed.
The Love Land app extended learning through private self-paced exploration. Early learners who began using the app at age 15 later joined the Youth Advisory Board, contributing to content creation. Adult participants also found value in the model, stating that even they learned new information and appreciated the stigma-free approach. Educators, supported by the Love Land Academy, gained confidence to lead sensitive conversations and confront their own discomfort.
The change was visible through improved knowledge scores, confident communication, and the creation of safe peer groups. Learners reported feeling understood and better prepared for adolescence. Educators noted stronger engagement, reduced stigma, and more supportive relationships within classrooms. Teaching experts and school leaders described Love Land as transformative.
The significance lies in demonstrating that taboo topics can be addressed effectively through participatory, youth-centred, story-driven learning. Love Land contributes to closing educational gaps across South Africa by making comprehensive sexual and mental health education accessible, inclusive and engaging. It establishes a scalable model ready for national and pan-African adoption.
Love Land’s future includes expanding board game distribution, scaling the app across Africa, strengthening Youth Advisory Board leadership pathways, and establishing regional hubs to support facilitator training. Through partnerships, marketing, and reinvestment from board game sales, the initiative aims for long-term sustainability. By centring youth voices, Love Land continues to challenge stigma and empower young people across the continent.
Quotes:
Patricia Mudiayi - Love Land prepares you for life.
S, age 17 - You’re seeing that other kids have the same problems and you get prepared for your future.
