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An exciting program for change is being implemented in Nelson Mandela Bay: EziNgcanjini means ‘at the roots’ in isiXhosa and is an apt description of how this program is addressing gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
Project Manager Thabang Queench explains, “We know that we have to dig deep into the South African male psyche and the related structural realities to understand why GBVF has become so widespread in our society”.
Changing men’s perceptions of how they accept and practice equitable gender norms is part of a broader social and political process of change. Engaging young men and boys in critical reflection of how their identities are socially constructed and deeply embedded within a patriarchal society are essential to addressing gender injustice. The program also builds on previous explorations of traditional rites of passage programs for men and boys in the Gqeberha area.
For these reasons the EziNcanjini Project explores probing questions such as What are social and gender norms, how are they enacted and how can they change at an individual and societal level? What is preventing us from achieving gender justice? Why do harmful gender norms remain so deeply entrenched in local cultures?
EziNgcanjini is the outcome of years of implementing the Alternatives to Violence Project in communities, schools, and organizations and is a program of the Southern Africa Development, Research, and Training Institute currently funded by the USA government.
Pictured below: A workshop in action
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME :
The program employs a variety of prevention strategies at different levels of intervention. Moving from the micro-level to the macro-level, these strategies are:
(1) strengthening individual knowledge and skills;
(2) promoting community education;
(3) engaging, strengthening, and mobilizing communities;
(4) strengthening the relationship between government and local organizations by consolidating efforts aimed at addressing GBVF.
Targeting men and boys aged 18+ years, the program is delivered over fifteen months in a combination of training workshops, live conversations, group discussions, policy advocacy, and awareness campaigning to incorporate different social and process designs. These activities will focus on schools, universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges, prisons, churches, government institutions, and local communities. Using participatory methods, the program facilitates conversations and formal, semi-structured workshops among young boys and men. The program values the significance of developing an evidence base through the exploration of other interventions that have worked in the South African context. For example, the EziNgcanjini program has been implemented in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality for the past three years and has shown success in dealing with specific drivers of GBVF, such as gender power inequality based on patriarchy, toxic masculinities (rooted in traditional gender norms), substance abuse, and gangsterism.
You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/avpecape and at https://sadratinstitute.org.za/proj.../ezingcanjini-project/
OUR NEEDS LIST :
Contact Details :
Debaneigh Jordaan, Coordinator, Alternatives to Violence Project, Eastern Cape
Southern Africa Development, Research, and Training Institute
10 Park Lane, Central, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
PO Box 12360, Central, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) 6006, South Africa
Tel (27)-41-582-4155 or 074 912 7928
