Blog

From Participation to Power: Why Investing in Young Women’s Leadership Is Critical for Social Change

South Africa continues to grapple with deeply entrenched social challenges, including gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), inequality, and limited access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services. While policies and frameworks exist to address these issues, a critical gap remains: the meaningful inclusion and leadership of young women in shaping and driving these interventions.

Empowering Young Minds: Karabelo GBV Team Engages Learners at Comprehensive School

Karabelo GBV Team engaged learners at a Comprehensive School on teenage pregnancy, HIV, STIs, TB, and gender-based violence, encouraging education, safe choices, and Rise Club participation

Let's Talk About Cervical Cancer: Why You Need to Know

Wait, Why Should I Care? You're young. You're healthy. Cervical cancer sounds like something that happens to "old people," right?

If Boys Are Missing From The Teenage Pregnancy Conversation, Prevention Will Fail

During a recent teenage pregnancy capacity-building workshop in Collins Chabane Municipality, Tiyani village, Limpopo, something striking took place. The room was mostly filled with young girls and women for three days. The young girls asked questions related to contraception and relationships, while mothers shared concerns about the pressures facing their daughters.

Building Cross-Border Feminist Solidarity in a Digital Age: Reflections from Women Deliver Melbourne

In a global moment defined by intersecting inequalities, feminist convenings continue to serve as powerful spaces for reflection, connection, and collective strategy. At the Women Deliver conference in Melbourne, a recent side event hosted in collaboration with Soul City Institute and Australian Volunteers International brought together advocates, practitioners, and fellows from across the world to explore what meaningful solidarity looks like in practice today.

Freedom Day: Honouring Our Past, Building Our Shared Future

Freedom Day is a powerful reminder of how far we have come as South Africans and the sacrifices that made our democracy possible. It marks a turning point in our history a moment when the country chose hope over division, equality over oppression, and unity over separation. On this day, we reflect on the long and painful journey toward democracy, and we honour those who fought, struggled, and sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Freedom is Not Finished: A Call to Live the Promise of Liberation

Freedom Day is a reminder that liberation is not a completed achievement, but an ongoing responsibility. In this reflection, Nomethe Mpembe, a FLAC Fellow, highlights that while South Africa celebrates its democratic freedom, many people still do not experience it fully in their daily lives. Freedom is seen in the courage of women speaking out against gender-based violence, in communities standing against inequality, and in individuals claiming their rights. However, it remains incomplete where fear, injustice, and exclusion still exist. The statement calls for a deeper understanding of freedom one that goes beyond legal recognition to lived reality. It urges continued action to ensure safety, dignity, and equality for all, especially women, children, and marginalised groups. Ultimately, the message is clear: Freedom Day should not only honour the past, but also renew commitment to building a society where freedom is truly lived by everyone, every day..

Whose Crisis Counts? South Africa’s Invisible Water Emergency

South Africa’s water crisis is often treated as an emergency only when urban areas begin to feel the strain. When taps in cities run dry, it becomes a national concern. Yet for decades, rural communities have lived this reality daily without recognition, urgency, or sustained intervention. The crisis did not begin when urban centres experienced shortages; it has long been embedded in the lived experience of rural South Africans.