Since 2005, the 1st for Women Foundation has been actively fighting against Gender Based Violence (GBV). With the incredible support of our 1st for Women customers, we’ve made a real, lasting impact. This journey showcases the amazing power of Fearless women coming together.
Education is key in the fight for gender equality. In 2019, we launched a school-based learning programme in Diepsloot, reaching kids from ages 3 to 18 at various Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres and schools. The programme also offers a comprehensive community-based support programme for GBV survivors – from trauma care to legal help, in partnership with Lawyers Against Abuse (LvA).
Diepsloot faces some of the highest rates of GBV in South Africa, with numbers more than double the national average.
The Ntataise Trust
An independent organisation that equips learners with social and emotional intelligence and values-based skills to break the cycle of violence and discriminatory mindsets.
RiseUp Against GBV: runs programmes for teens, teaching them about healthy relationships, consent, and spotting early signs of abuse.
REPSSI (Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative): Their programmes are designed to boost self-esteem, physical awareness and body consciousness training for girls and the ‘Peace is a Decision Programme’ for boys, which trains and equips boys with the necessary social courage to challenge harmful cultural norms and intervene against abuse. REPSSI also trains parents, caregivers, teachers, and school leaders.
NACOSA (Networking HIV and Aids Community of Southern Africa): Known for uplifting community organisations and facilitating services in Thuthuzela Care Centres nationwide, they are currently setting up the first post-violence care facility in Diepsloot, in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Health.
Action Breaks Silence: A women-led organisation, based in the United Kingdom and South Africa offering a holistic self-defence programme to empower communities to stop violence against women and girls.
The Foundation also supports SPEAK UP, a tech-enabled solution by the Department of Basic Education. This partnership was created to provide South African youth with sex education on their cellphones. The tool provides a series of short, interactive and animated videos, with subtitles, in case the user needs to watch the video in private – offering sex education via cellphones, helping youth make informed decisions about their sexual health. The interactive videos are free and can be accessed by dialling 1347355# and selecting option 3.
Action Breaks Silence (ABS)
Founded in 2013, Action Breaks Silence (ABS) is an educational non-profit organisation dedicated to creating a world where women and girls can live without the fear of gender-based violence (GBV). Their mission is to engage, educate, and empower communities to put an end to violence against women and girls.
The ABS Community Intervention Programme is committed to taking proactive steps to tackle GBV in schools and their surrounding communities. ABS works with everyone in the school community – students, management, teachers, caregivers, and parents – to make a real difference.
The programme’s activities include:
Train-the-Trainer Programme.
Empowerment Workshops: These include self-defence sessions and workshops on redefining masculinity.
Primary School Programme: Focused on ending violence against women and girls (VAWG).
The Action Breaks Silence Youth Ambassador Programme.