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POWA provides advocacy, skills development opportunities, counseling, legal advice, sheltering, and court support services to gender-based violence survivors. We also raise awareness of GBV and our services within communities.
People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) is a feminist, non-profit organization established in 1979 by six women who volunteered to provide referral services and shelter to women who had experienced domestic violence.
Today, POWA provides counseling, sheltering, skills development opportunities, legal advice, research, advocacy, public awareness, and court support services, which are all free of charge, to assist abused women.
POWA also has initiatives that provide sector capacity building and strengthening, law reform, research, campaigning, knowledge gathering and dissemination, rights education, and regional and international strategic engagement. We engage in policy reform and developmental interventions addressing socio-economic and socio-political issues affecting women’s livelihoods. These activities work towards keeping the issue of women’s rights with a specific focus on violence against women on the national agenda.
Our Current projects include :
Launched in 2019, #EndDomesticSilence is an initiative by Unilever tea brand, JOKO, in partnership with People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), to make a significant impact towards ending the silence surrounding domestic violence because tea and conversations go together. The #EndDomesticSilence initiative aims to harness the immense power of humble conversations in which women facing domestic violence are listened to, believed, and supported. It aims to support victims of domestic violence in ending their silence with information, tools, and the provision of more safe spaces.
Many women remain silent about domestic violence because of shame and fear, but it is only when victims of domestic violence end their silence that they are able to receive the support they need to end their abuse and move onto better lives.
There are three programmes sponsored by JOKO that form part of the #EndDomesticSilence initiative, which are:
Sector Strengthening, which involves training non-governmental organizations, corporate entities, and public sectors across South Africa on numerous aspects of domestic violence. The training includes a range of content such as its many forms and signs, its contributing factors and effects, legal and practical steps to leave domestic violence, and various resources to address it among a range of other valuable information. Sector strengthening also involves communities coming together to have open, honest conversations on domestic violence and how to better address it through what are known as Tea Talks.
The Women’s Writing Project, which involves an anthology with essays, stories, and poems written by women about their experiences of abuse and how they triumphed over it to lead better lives.
Healing Days, which involve domestic violence survivors coming together to discuss their experiences of abuse, support each other, and talk about their healing journeys. It is very beneficial for survivors to come together and converse openly with each other. This way, they gain strength, comfort, advice, and insight from each other.
A list of our needs :
POWA WISH LIST
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Office equipment
Shelter list
Office renovations
Contact person and their/Cell/Landline
Thandiwe McCloy – Communications Manager at POWA
Like and Follow us on Facebook: POWA
Follow us on Twitter: @POWA_ZA
Follow us on Instagram: @powa_za
Physical Address:
POWA has a Head Office, which is based at 64 Mitchell Street in Berea, Johannesburg. It also has five offices in Soweto, Katlehong, Vosloorus, Thembisa and Evaton.
Banking details for those who may wish to donate.
Bank: Standard Bank Killarney Mall Branch
- Account Name: People Opposing Women Abuse
- Account Number: 200 301 578
- Branch Code: 007205
- Account Type: Cheque Account
- Reference: Algoa Cares
If you would like to make a donation and require any further information, you can email POWA’s Fundraising Manager, Ancha Smuts on ancha@powa.co.za
