News

NGO heroes of the World Cup

14 June 2010

Deepa Patel reports on how some NGOs are beefing up their work to deal with the uglier side of the football extravaganza. Patel is a CSI practitioner at Tshikululu Social Investments.

The Romans knew that if you couldn’t give people bread, then you could try get away with circuses. But let’s not be churlish – the football extravaganza unfolding in South Africa is a welcome distraction, and a healthy opportunity for the country to unite. It’s also just plain fun.

Some NGOs have to look at the other side of this fun – the particular challenges that arise during such tournaments with their influx of assorted people, and especially the potential for an increase in the abuse of women and children. Here is what some of the quiet heroes of the soccer world cup will be doing:

Johannesburg Child Welfare Society

The Johannesburg Child Welfare Society (JCWS) has partnered with UN Development Fund for Women (Unifem) in campaigning to increase awareness about the trafficking of women and children before and during the 2010 World Cup. A special lekgotla was held on 28 May, attended by Tshikululu CSI practitioners. The objective of this programme is to lobby state departments, NGOs, the FIFA Local Organising Committee, international agencies and advocacy groups to collaborate in a campaign to prevent violence against women and children. The campaign will use mini-soccer tournaments, community outreach programmes, newspaper articles, posters and pamphlets, visits to primary schools, production of an anti-trafficking toolkit and holiday programmes to get its message out. Social workers will also man a child safe area at the Fan Fest in Soweto.

Polokwane Child and Family Welfare Society

The Polokwane Child and Family Welfare Society have offered its services to the Department of Social Development. These include the use of its 24-hour telephonic counselling line and its crisis centre. The crisis centre will accommodate children and women who are victims of trafficking and survivors of abuse. The 24-hour telephone help line will also be used by another NGO called Molosongololo for those in crisis after hours.  Trauma debriefing and counselling services are available and talks on child protection will be conducted at five schools in and around Polokwane and pamphlets on child protection will be distributed at all events and activities.

Mosaic

Mosaic is a Western Cape NGO with a strong understanding of domestic violence and abuse. It is a community based, non-profit organisation (NPO) with a specific focus on preventing and reducing abuse and domestic violence, particularly for women and youth living in disadvantaged communities. Its core services are educational/public awareness presentations (abuse, human rights, legal rights and HIV/Aids); medical assistance/advice (reproductive health and HIV/Aids); skills training and development; support groups; legal services (court support); and counselling services backed by appropriate networking and referral services. During the FIFA World Cup, Mosaic has stepped up its current services and which can be accessed 24 hours a day.

Childline South Africa

Childline is an effective NPO working through provincial offices to protect children from all forms of violence and to create a culture of children’s rights in South Africa. Its activities include:

• Crisis Line manning;
• Training of volunteers;
• Training of other professionals who work in child protection;
• Therapy for abused and traumatised children and their families;
• Court preparation for child witnesses; and
• Advocacy.

During the World Cup Childline will increase the number of telephone and face-to-face counsellors on duty per shift. This is in line with a national strategy agreed upon by a consortium made up of the Department of Social Development, Childline SA and other concerned roleplayers and stakeholders.

Nisaa

The Nisaa Institute for Women’s Development was founded in 1994 as a community-based NPO to alleviate the effects of the abuse of women and their children (the secondary victims of abuse) and on broader women’s issues. Its offices are based in Gauteng’s Lenesia, Soweto and Orange Farm. During this time Nisaa will increase its services in Soweto and also conduct awareness programmes throughout Gauteng.

NICRO

Nicro (the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders) was established in 1910 and is at the forefront of South Africa’s search for effective, lasting solutions to combating crime and creating a safe, crime-free country. It regards crime as a threat to democracy, good governance and individual rights and is the only NGO providing comprehensive, holistic crime reduction and crime prevention services in every province.

Nicro has increased its service to assist children who are charged with criminal offences. This service includes implementing diversion programmes and non-custodial sentences in courts where Nicro is already active.

Sonke Gender Justice Network

The Sonke Gender Justice Network works across Africa to strengthen government, civil society and citizen capacity to support men and boys to take action to:

• Promote gender equality,
• Prevent domestic and sexual violence, and
• Reduce the spread and impact of HIV and Aids.

In this way the organisation contributes to the development of societies in which men, women, youth and children can enjoy equitable, healthy and happy relationships that contribute to the development of just and democratic societies.

During the World Cup, the Sonke Gender Justice Network will be involved in two major related activities; namely its Brothers for Life Campaign and the Red Card campaign. The former will focus on the desirability of condom use and the undesirability of alcohol abuse and violence. It will feature players from Manchester United, FC Barcelona as well as the captains of the South African national soccer, rugby and crickets teams. The Red Card campaign is run in conjunction with Grassroot Soccer and aims to prevent exploitation of women and girls in southern Africa. The campaign will use an integrated set of messages and tools drawing on a “œRed Card” campaign concept.

Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre

The Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre is a non-profit international women’s organisation based in East London. With a specific focus on violence against women, sexual and reproductive health and the “˜gendered’ nature of HIV and Aids, it works to build the capacity of women and human rights advocates to claim and realise women’s human rights. This is done through the development of new knowledge and the utilisation of a rights-based approach.

Masimanyane has started conducted training workshops for its staff and other NGOs and CBOs on the prevention of human trafficking in and around the Eastern Cape.

Pietermaritzburg Child and Family Welfare Society

The Child and Family Welfare Society of Pietermaritzburg was formed in 1994 following an amalgamation of three local child welfare societies in Pietermaritzburg that had been structured on racial lines. It is the largest non-profit child care and protection agency in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands and provides statutory and non-statutory services to children who mostly less than 14 years of age. The Society’s primary focus is to enhance the quality of child and family life of the residents of the greater Pietermaritzburg area, and to ensure that children are protected from neglect and abuse. The Society has included child trafficking awareness activities in its schools and protection programmes conducted in the last few weeks.

Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme (TVEP)

The Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme is rights-based and covers the Thulamela municipality, with a population of 585 000 people (Census 2001). It accommodates one regional and two district hospitals, 48 clinics, three health centres, seven police stations and their satellites, and 500+ crèches, schools and tertiary education facilities that accommodate an estimated 220 000 children and learners. The TVEP will continue to provide its services 24/7.

Greater Rape Integration Project (GRIP)

The Greater Rape Intervention Project (GRIP) is based in Nelspruit and provides services throughout Mpumalanga province. Grip provides humanitarian assistance, counselling and rehabilitation services to of survivors of rape and sexual assault. It also works with people affected and infected with HIV/Aids as a result of sexual assault. GRIP will be stepping up its activities throughout the World Cup period and will offer training on the prevention of human trafficking to other NGOs/CBOs. Social workers will be present at stadiums and fan parks to provide support and care to children and women.

LifeLine Pietermarizburg

LifeLine Pietermaritzburg offers pre- and post-HIV testing counseling and support for those infected or affected by HIV/Aids. Counsellors are based in public hospital crisis centres in both urban and rural areas and work to support rape and gender-based violence survivors. These counsellors play a vital role in assisting survivors to deal with trauma by offering ongoing emotional support and by educating people of their rights. These services are offered 24-hours a day and are free of charge. Other services include training and capacity-building workshops on HIV/Aids. During the World Cup, LifeLine will increase its telephonic and face-face counselling services and will ensure that counsellors are trained in trafficking.