_YoungAfricaLive_ (YAL) is a mobile portal platform designed to communicate life-saving information about HIV/AIDS and sexual health to young people in a way that is engaging, interactive and relevant. 

The idea was originally sparked by the discovery that in a country with the biggest HIV/Aids pandemic in the world, none of South Africa’s large mobile portals held a single piece of information about the pandemic—where to get tested, how to practice safe sex and how to avoid getting HIV/Aids. This gap created the opportunity for _YoungAfricaLive_ to be born. 

YAL is an entertainment-oriented, fun, interactive and provocative social platform that enables young people to discuss topics close to them while at the same time disseminating important information and promoting sexual health. It does not simply state the facts and “lecture” young people about the dos and don’ts, but rather creates a space where young South Africans can talk about hot topics that affect their daily lives: love, sex, relationships, gender and cultural issues, as well as HIV/Aids. This edutainment approach has been extremely successful as our young audience does not feel it is being lectured but is able to engage in discussions with peers and enjoy time spent on the portal. 

The key goals of _YoungAfricaLive_ are to: 

1) Share information and educate: 

2) Generate discussion, and 

3) Promote HIV testing and normalize safe-sex practices

**YoungAfricaLive** (ZA). The core team carrying this project is a combination of writers, engineers and program managers. In each country, the team is made up of local content writers and/or bloggers, as well as content moderators. Centrally, the team is led by an overall content strategist, a lead engineer and a program manager. On 14 February 2012, _YoungAfricaLive_ had 838,800 unique users. YAL users are African young people aged predominantly between 18 and 25. They are predominantly urban, but we also see a lot of rural users on the platform.