Focus Areas
1. Violence against women
In South Africa violence against women remains widespread and
under-reported.
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RWM supports abuse victims psychologically and legally and holds workshops in communities to eradicate violence through sensibilization of both women and men.
Our areas of work include domestic violence, sexual, physical and psychological abuse, forced marriage, FGM.
2. Women's economic and social empowerment
RWM supports women to lift themselves out of extreme poverty through intensive trainings on entrepreneurial skills for them to become successful small-scale/commercial farmers and be able to improve rural livelihood; to empower themselves and become both financially self-sustaining and self-aware about their abilities.
As of today we have worked with 450 women who increased their income and 750 rural women who become “better organized and mobilized to effectively lobby against and tackle legislation policies and practices that discriminate against women’s socio-economic and cultural well-being”.
RWM also has a fundraising campaign to build an Agricultural Skills Training Center in KZN. This Center will train rural women from KZN to improve their agricultural skills.
3. Gender equality
We hold workshops to sensitize communities (including men) about gender equality, unequal workload and gender stereotypes.
We ensure that women have the same rights as men through lobbying and advocacy for policies that are user friendly for indigenous women.
4. Access to land, inheritance and property rights
In KwaZulu-Natal Customary Law for many years prohibited women from inheriting or possessing land. Some of these laws have been amended but the legacy they left behind still remains. RWM is carrying on a legal and social fight for women’s rights to acquire property in their own name.
RWM is partnering with the Legal Resources Centre to challenge the Ingonyama Trust Act in South Africa’s Constitutional Court. The Act was passed just days before the first democratic election in 1994 and RWM deems it unconstitutional because the affected committees were not consulted. Moreover, the Act follows a longer pattern in which indigenous people have been encouraged or forced to transform land rights into land leases, being unclear about the benefits they would gain. The leases are written in English although they often affect people who do not speak it.
Our Objectives
1
Amplify the voices of indigenous women, adolescent, orphaned and vulnerable girls
By encouraging partnership between local and national government and civil society that aims at empowering the marginalized groups to have greater influence over public policy and budget allocations.
2
Mobilize and organize women across the province of KwaZulu-Natal
By highlighting the implications of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill of 2015 and Traditional Courts Bill of 2008 which seeks to entrench apartheid geographies with its proposals to establish traditional councils based on the old “tribal authorities” of the Bantustans, established in terms of the 1951 Bantu Authorities Act of 1927.
By calling for repeal of Ingonyama Trust Act of 1994 which seeks to turn indigenous communities into tenants and subjects of undemocratic traditional leaders in their own ancestral land.
3
Enhance leadership skills
By increasing our understanding of the real barriers to gender, ethnic diversity.
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By enhancing mutual support and networking opportunities for the coalition of indigenous women CBOs RWM is working with to create space for empowering and inspiring others.
4
Build successful entrapreneurs
By training women on entrepreneurial and practical skills, and sustaining their projects as commercial farmers.
WITH OUR WORK...
We make society, Government and individuals aware of the rural communities’ needs.
We make rural communities aware of South African legislations and their own rights as a citizens.
We are working for the
