South Africa

Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS)

An independent organization committed to promoting democracy, justice, equality and peace in South Africa addressing and undoing legacies of oppression and discrimination through the realization of human rights for all South Africans under a just constitutional and legal order.

Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)

A multi-disciplinary institute involved in policy formation, community interventions, service delivery, education and training, as well as providing consultancy services. The primary goal of the CSVR is to use its expertise in building reconciliation, democracy and a human rights culture, and in preventing violence in South Africa and in other countries in Africa.

Vukani-Tsohang Africa

A community-based organization that brings together intellectually challenged youth and women through skills-training programs, such as dressmaking, beading and tapestry. Vukani provides awareness-raising programs on human rights, HIV/AIDS, sexuality and gender-based violence for both its trainees and the broader community. Their change project is to become organizationally and financially sustainable so that they can continue to use their training work as a vehicle for consciousness raising and broader community development work.

Sikhula Sonke

An independent, women-led trade union for farm workers. Sikhula Sonke advocates for decent work and decent living conditions for members through raising awareness on social rights, fair-trade, domestic abuse, alcohol addiction and health-and-food-safety issues. They are also actively working to create new norms of relationship among themselves and with the broader society where they are treated as full human beings with dignity. Its goal is to provide a legal vehicle for its members to negotiate with farmers and to address unjust labour practices while creating the above-mentioned awareness. Their change project is to build a collective leadership in which members are active in decision-making, can hold organizers to account and are not disempowered in relation to the National Executive Committee.

Kganya Women's Consortium

Located in Orange Farm, about an hour and a half outside of central Johannesburg, this consortium of projects will be developing a collective approach to overcoming widespread socio-economic challenges pervasive in this region, while empowering women, the majority of their membership. Their change project is to create a formal structure to strengthen the organization so that it can support member collaboration, as well as to grow in scope and size. As a stronger, more collaborative organization, the Consortium is better equipped to reduce the incidence of domestic abuse and to promote women's rights.

Remmoho

Enhances women's participation, representation and leadership in the anti-privatization social movement. Remmoho addresses issues around access to water, land, housing, energy/electricity and violence against women. Its change project is to build women's activism and participation in the social movement, and to strengthen their organizational identity, as well as to improve their relationship to the mainly male leadership of the Anti-Privatization Forum.

Treatment Action Campaign (TAC)

Advocates for increased access to treatment, care and support services for people living with HIV, and campaigns to reduce new HIV infections. Since 1998, TAC has held government accountable for health care service delivery, campaigned against official AIDS denialism, and cultivated community leadership on HIV/AIDS. TAC’s current change project is to build women’s leadership in a rural district and to create a more conducive environment for implementing effective programming for women at the local level.

Women on Farms Project (WFP)

Strives to strengthen the capacity of women who live and work on farms to claim their rights and fulfill their needs. They do this work through socio-economics, rights-based and gender education advocacy and lobbying and support for the building of social movements for farm women. Their change project is to strengthen WFP’s constituency of farm women's ownership and leadership within the organization.

Justice and Women (JAW)

Founded in 1998 by and for women who have experienced problems with and barriers to accessing the Justice System within South Africa. JAW’s purpose is to help women address their legal rights around domestic violence and struggles regarding child support issues. Their Gender at Work change project is to develop an organizational culture that enables greater power sharing and management responsibility between founders and new staff members.

South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU)

The main retail-sector trade union in South Africa. Its membership includes casual/temporary workers, a group typically not recognized or organized by other unions. Despite the fact that women make up the majority of membership, SACCAWU operates within a male-dominated leadership and organizational culture. Their G@W change project is to nurture women’s leadership locally by creating a supportive environment for women to lead.