By Tshikululu Social Investments
“The unacceptably high levels of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa are a blight on our national conscience, and a betrayal of our constitutional order for which so many fought, and for which so many gave their lives”. These are the words of President Cyril Ramaphosa in the foreword of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence & Femicide (GBVF), a plan drafted and adopted after extensive consultation post the Presidential Summit in November 2018.
South African has extremely high rates of GBVF. With the scourge of rape and sexual violence pervading every sphere of our society, the critical response needed now relies heavily on a united financial and social effort. This includes the coordination of financial resources to support relevant programmes and campaigns that will raise awareness, lead to mass action, and result in behavioural change.
The GBVF Response Fund1 is a part of this national response to gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa. It is led by the private sector, with the International Women’s Forum South Africa (IWFSA) playing the leading role in its establishment.
The GBVF Response Fund1 is calling on community-based organisations (CBOs) involved in activities under Pillars 2 and 3 of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF (Prevention and Rebuilding Social Cohesion, and Justice, Safety and Protection) to apply for funding.
Grants for a maximum of a two-year period, ranging from R50 000 to R250 000 per year, have been made available to successful applicants in support of these crucial activities. Funding is also available for organisations acting as intermediaries to provide grants, capacity development and technical support to CBOs that cannot meet the compliance requirements to apply directly.
Any CBOs nationally who are involved in interventions around behaviour change, community education and awareness, mental health and psychosocial support services, trauma response, training and survivor legal support are urged to apply. Organisations acting as intermediaries to support CBOs carrying out these activities are also urged to apply.
“Violence against women has become more than a national crisis,” President Ramaphosa says. Together, organisations, government and the private sector are collaborating and playing their part against gender-based violence and femicide.”
Tshikululu Social Investments will be facilitating these applications for funding on behalf of the GBVF Response Fund1. For more information about this grant and which organisations will be eligible for funding, as well as to apply, please click here. Applications close at 17h00 on 6 August 2021.
The GBVF Response Fund1 is a part of a national response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in South Africa. A successful national response relies on a united financial and social effort. This is the first step in a holistic approach that aims to coordinate financial resources to support relevant programmes and campaigns that will raise awareness, lead to mass action, and result in behavioural change. The private sector will lead the GBVF Response Fund1, with the International Women’s Forum South Africa (IWFSA) playing the leading role in its establishment. The GBVF Response Fund is led by an independent Board of Directors which is responsible for its governance, strategy development and implementation. The Fund is committed to playing a key role in the realisation of the vision of the National Strategic Plan (NSP), which is “a South Africa free from gender-based violence directed at women, children and LGBTQIA+ persons”.
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Telephone: 086 000 9590 | Mobile: 072 126 3962 | e-Mail: emlyn.dunn@topco.co.za