SOUTH AFRICA DEVELOPMENT FUND

The following organizations reflect the South Africa Development Fund's focus on

human rights-centered activist organizations and social movements

that advocate for vulnerable South Africans.

SADF’s HIV grants program focuses on prevention science, prevention and treatment advocacy and the monitoring by civil society of government delivery of health services.

AIDS Legal Network (ALN) conducted an extensive survey among women in KwaZulu-Natal on their basic knowledge of HIV prevention strategies such as microbicides, female condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis and voluntary medical male circumcision. Results indicated that women had little knowledge of what prevention options are available, where resources are located and how individual strategies can impact their lives. ALN and SADF will use these findings to help focus attention to the prevention needs of women.

Since 1990, Artist Proof Studio has provided resources for emerging township artists. Building on its long history of implementing arts-based AIDS awareness in the public arena, the studio’s Advocacy Unit developed a range of designs for murals, posters, visual aids and comic strips for a national campaign specifically aimed at men. The images will be used in collaboration with Sonke Gender Justice’s gender-based campaign of HIV prevention advocacy.

Community Media Trust (CMT) is the media partner of the Treatment Action Campaign. CMT produces a television series called Siyayinqoba Beat It! that addresses issues related to HIV/AIDS. SADF’s grant supported a number of episodes on voluntary medical male circumcision in support of the government’s roll-out of this prevention strategy which can reduce HIV infection by 60%.

Formerly known as the AIDS Law Project, Section 27 seeks to use the law to advance human rights with a particular focus on health care services and other basic needs inscribed in that part of South Africa’s Constitution that bears its name. SADF’s grant was in support of Section 27’s monitoring of the National Strategic Plan on HIV and its work as the leader of civil society on the South African National AIDS Council.

With a strong regional presence, Sonke works with men to advance gender equality to prevent the spread of HIV in southern Africa. SADF’s grant is in support of Sonke’s campaign using radio, television, workshops and public images to promote voluntary medical male circumcision in South Africa.

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is internationally known for its successful efforts to make treatment available to all South Africans with HIV/AIDS. TAC is putting its resources into prevention of HIV/AIDS and TB through a six-province program that provides prevention information, addresses gender issues related to the epidemic and monitors health delivery services. Since 70% of South Africans with HIV are co-infected with TB, TAC is working with Section 27 to draft a new National Strategic Plan that focuses on both diseases and will provide a framework for public health services through 2016. TAC maintains its involvement with international activism, policy development, pressuring drug companies and researching scientific advances in HIV/AIDS and TB.

SADF’s environmental justice grants support community efforts to fight industrial pollution that adversely impacts poor communities. .

As a corporate pollution watchdog, groundWork has become the leading environmental justice organization in South Africa, and increasingly, in southern Africa. groundWork places particular emphasis on assisting poor and vulnerable communities whose residents are most affected by environmental injustices. The organization is leading a global campaign to halt the funding of one of the world’s largest coal power plant in South Africa – a project that will emit 30 million metric tons of CO2 and have a negative impact on public health.

The Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) was established in 2006 to promote a healthy and sustainable environment for communities in South Africa’s heavily industrialized Vaal Triangle. The organization is an alliance of community, labor, youth and women’s groups that raise awareness of the degradation of air and water caused by pollution. VEJA campaigns call for corporate accountability on environmental issues.

SADF supports the following human rights movements seeking to have a significant impact on policies and practices in South Africa.

As a coalition of 45 shack-dweller communities in the Durban area, Abahlali is the largest and fastest-growing social movement in South Africa. The organization fights for rights to land, housing and public services; and demands an end to illegal evictions, demolitions and forced removals. Abahlali struggles have gained international recognition and support.

Abahlali in the Western Cape is a movement of organizations in shack communities to present a collective response to the lack of governmental development. AbM-WC organizes campaigns for the upgrading of slums with flush toilets, electricity and access to water. After the death of 60 people, Abahlali organized a summit to adopt a plan of action to address shack fires caused by the use of candles in non-electrified households.

Formerly known as the Centre for Law and Social Justice, Ndifuna Ukwazi (Dare to Know) educates and mentors young leaders to promote human rights and social justice in South Africa. Using research and analysis, the organization focuses on the intersection of socio-economic rights, constitutional obligations and international law to advocate for poor and vulnerable people.

With more than 1,000 members, the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) is building a mass movement of active citizens to hold government accountable for equitable service delivery and to strengthen democratic participation. SJC engaged with residents of Khayelitsha who live with threats of assault, rape and murder in performing the most basic of daily tasks such as using a toilet. This grant supported a campaign focused on the health and safety–related dangers caused by the lack of sanitation facilities in the community.

South Africa has seen a meteoric rise in service delivery protests, particularly around basic rights. The Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC), founded by veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle, has been a leader in advocating for access to electricity and water for residents of Soweto. SECC opposes both pre-paid meters and the privatization of services which increase costs for already disadvantaged communities.

Thembani was founded in 1996 to help establish the foundations of South Africa’s new social and economic rights. Using funds invested in the U.S, Thembani provides loan guarantees to banks which in turn provide credit to previously disadvantaged communities. With availability of loans, individuals and organizations are addressing poverty, homelessness and unemployment.


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2011 SADF Grantees The following organizations reflect the South Africa Development Fund's focus on human rights-centered activist organizations and social movements that advocate for vulnerable South Africans. HEALTH & HUMAN RIGHTS: HIV/AIDSHEALTH & HUMAN RIGHTS: HIV/AIDS SADF’s HIV grants program focuses on prevention science, prevention and treatment advocacy and the monitoring by civil society of government delivery of health services. AIDS Legal Network, Cape Town, South Africa $ 80,000 AIDS Legal Network (ALN) conducted an extensive survey among women in KwaZulu-Natal on their basic knowledge of HIV prevention strategies such as microbicides, female condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis and voluntary medical male circumcision. Results indicated that women had little knowledge of what prevention options are available, where resources are located and how individual strategies can impact their lives. ALN and SADF will use these findings to help focus attention to the prevention needs of women. www.aln.org Artist Proof Studio, Johannesburg, South Africa $ 58,370 Since 1990, Artist Proof Studio has provided resources for emerging township artists. Building on its long history of implementing arts-based AIDS awareness in the public arena, the studio’s Advocacy Unit developed a range of designs for murals, posters, visual aids and comic strips for a national campaign specifically aimed at men. The images will be used in collaboration with Sonke Gender Justice’s gender-based campaign of HIV prevention advocacy. www.artistproofstudio.org Community Media Trust, Muizenberg, South Africa $ 100,000 Community Media Trust (CMT) is the media partner of the Treatment Action Campaign. CMT produces a television series called Siyayinqoba Beat It! that addresses issues related to HIV/AIDS. SADF’s grant supported a number of episodes on voluntary medical male circumcision in support of the government’s roll-out of this prevention strategy which can reduce HIV infection by 60%. www.beatit.co Section 27, Johannesburg, South Africa $ 100,000 Formerly known as the AIDS Law Project, Section 27 seeks to use the law to advance human rights with a particular focus on health care services and other basic needs inscribed in that part of South Africa’s Constitution that bears its name. SADF’s grant was in support of Section 27’s monitoring of the National Strategic Plan on HIV and its work as the leader of civil society on the South African National AIDS Council. www.section27.org Sonke Gender Justice, Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa $ 100,000 With a strong regional presence, Sonke works with men to advance gender equality to prevent the spread of HIV in southern Africa. SADF’s grant is in support of Sonke’s campaign using radio, television, workshops and public images to promote voluntary medical male circumcision in South Africa. www.genderjustice.org Treatment Action Campaign, Cape Town, South Africa $ 550,000 Community Health Advocates Programme $ 18,000 Women’s Rights Programme $ 47,900 general support The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is internationally known for its successful efforts to make treatment available to all South Africans with HIV/AIDS. TAC is putting its resources into prevention of HIV/AIDS and TB through a six-province program that provides prevention information, addresses gender issues related to the epidemic and monitors health delivery services. Since 70% of South Africans with HIV are co-infected with TB, TAC is working with Section 27 to draft a new National Strategic Plan that focuses on both diseases and will provide a framework for public health services through 2016. TAC maintains its involvement with international activism, policy development, pressuring drug companies and researching scientific advances in HIV/AIDS and TB. www.tac.org.za HEALTH & HUMAN RIGHTS: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SADF’s environmental justice grants support community efforts to fight industrial pollution that adversely impacts poor communities. . groundWork, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa $ 57,507 As a corporate pollution watchdog, groundWork has become the leading environmental justice organization in South Africa, and increasingly, in southern Africa. groundWork places particular emphasis on assisting poor and vulnerable communities whose residents are most affected by environmental injustices. The organization is leading a global campaign to halt the funding of one of the world’s largest coal power plant in South Africa – a project that will emit 30 million metric tons of CO2 and have a negative impact on public health. www.groundwork.org Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance, Sasolburg, South Africa $ 3,000 The Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) was established in 2006 to promote a healthy and sustainable environment for communities in South Africa’s heavily industrialized Vaal Triangle. The organization is an alliance of community, labor, youth and women’s groups that raise awareness of the degradation of air and water caused by pollution. VEJA campaigns call for corporate accountability on environmental issues. CIVIL SOCIETY & HUMAN RIGHTS SADF supports the following human rights movements seeking to have a significant impact on policies and practices in South Africa. Abahlali baseMjondolo, Durban, South Africa $ 20,730 As a coalition of 45 shack-dweller communities in the Durban area, Abahlali is the largest and fastest-growing social movement in South Africa. The organization fights for rights to land, housing and public services; and demands an end to illegal evictions, demolitions and forced removals. Abahlali struggles have gained international recognition and support. www.abahlali.org Abahlali baseMjondolo Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa $ 20,000 Abahlali in the Western Cape is a movement of organizations in shack communities to present a collective response to the lack of governmental development. AbM-WC organizes campaigns for the upgrading of slums with flush toilets, electricity and access to water. After the death of 60 people, Abahlali organized a summit to adopt a plan of action to address shack fires caused by the use of candles in non-electrified households. Ndifuna Ukwazi, Cape Town, South Africa $ 21,023 Formerly known as the Centre for Law and Social Justice, Ndifuna Ukwazi (Dare to Know) educates and mentors young leaders to promote human rights and social justice in South Africa. Using research and analysis, the organization focuses on the intersection of socio-economic rights, constitutional obligations and international law to advocate for poor and vulnerable people. www.nu.org Social Justice Coalition, Cape Town, South Africa $ 53,500 With more than 1,000 members, the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) is building a mass movement of active citizens to hold government accountable for equitable service delivery and to strengthen democratic participation. SJC engaged with residents of Khayelitsha who live with threats of assault, rape and murder in performing the most basic of daily tasks such as using a toilet. This grant supported a campaign focused on the health and safety–related dangers caused by the lack of sanitation facilities in the community. www.sjc.org Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee, Soweto, South Africa $ 20,000 South Africa has seen a meteoric rise in service delivery protests, particularly around basic rights. The Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC), founded by veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle, has been a leader in advocating for access to electricity and water for residents of Soweto. SECC opposes both pre-paid meters and the privatization of services which increase costs for already disadvantaged communities. Thembani International Guarantee Fund, Pretoria, South Africa $10,000 Thembani was founded in 1996 to help establish the foundations of South Africa’s new social and economic rights. Using funds invested in the U.S, Thembani provides loan guarantees to banks which in turn provide credit to previously disadvantaged communities. With availability of loans, individuals and organizations are addressing poverty, homelessness and unemployment. www.tigf.co
555 Amory Street, Boston, MA 02130 \| tel: (617) 522-5511 fax: (617) 522-5591 \| info@sadevelopmentfund.org

2011 SADF Grantees