Sonke gratefully acknowledges the support of our generous donors without whom our work would not be possible.
Mary Oppenheimer & Daughters Foundation
Category: Uncategorized
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About Sonke
Our Vision
A world in which womxn, children, men, and gender-non-conforming individuals
enjoy equitable, caring, healthy, and happy relationships that contribute to the
development of gender-just and democratic societies, free from poverty.Our Mission
Sonke strengthens the capacity of governments, civil society, and citizens to
advance gender justice and womxn’s rights, prevent gender-based violence and
reduce the spread of HIV and the impact of AIDS, and in this way contribute to
social justice and the elimination of poverty.Organisational Philosophy
Sonke recognises that effecting sustained change to gender roles and relations requires addressing the forces that shape individual attitudes and community norms and practices – traditions and cultures, government policies, laws and institutions, civil society organisations, the media and the family – as well as underlying economic, political and social pressures.
Effective responses to gender-based violence and HIV and AIDS require organisations to develop multifaceted strategies and build relationships with both traditional and non-traditional partners. Thus Sonke works closely with a range of organisations and individuals including women’s rights organisations, social movements, trade unions, government departments, sports associations, faith-based organisations, media organisations, university research units and human rights advocates. In addition, Sonke is committed to ensuring that programmes are informed by the perspectives and priorities of those working to advance the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersexual communities, people living with HIV and AIDS, and refugees and migrants. Women, sexual minorities, young people, refugees, migrants and other relevant stakeholders are represented in Sonke’s governance structures.
Sonke recognises the importance of engaged and empowered citizen activism that can both support and hold government accountable. Sonke currently co-chairs the MenEngage Alliance, and embraces the principles of the Alliance to guide the positive involvement of men in gender equality work.
Spectrum of Change
Sonke utilises the ‘spectrum of change’ model, drawing on a broad range of social change strategies that include:
- Partnering with government to promote policy development and effective implementation
- Advocacy, activism and community mobilisation
- Networking and coalition work nationally and internationally
- Capacity building and training with partner organisations
- Innovative communication strategies for social change
- Community education
- Individual skills building
- Research and monitoring and evaluation.
The Spectrum of Change: A Tool for Integrated Public Health Approaches (99.58 kB)
Organisational Values
Sonke believes that our gender transformational work must:
- Promote the rights of women and girls and link with efforts to empower them
- Enhance the lives of boys and men and help them to see the benefits of transforming gender norms
- Include and respond to diversities among men – such as sexual, ethnic and class differences – and address inter alia, the specific needs of male prisoners and migrants and men (and women) affected by conflict
- Show the effects of gender norms and inequalities on men and women
- Explore ways to transform gender relations by engaging both women and men
- Address structural and social determinants of gender inequality, first and foremost income inequality and the unequal division of labour.
Registration Details
NPO NUMBER: 064-502
Reg. No: 2006/023739/08
Vat Reg. No: 4410231288Awards & Recognition
On 1 December 2017, Sonke was awarded the Mail & Guardian Investing in the Future and Drivers of Change Health Award for our prison reform work.
Shortly prior, on 10 November 2017, we were honoured to receive the Overall Human Rights Award in the Foundation for Human Rights’ inaugural Mogambri Moodliar Human Rights Awards.
According to Dean Peacock, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sonke, “These awards are testimony to both the effectiveness of multi-pronged and ambitious strategy and a dedicated staff willing to stay the course over the long term no matter the challenges.”
In November 2012, Sonke was listed as a runner-up in the Mail & Guardian 2012 Investing in the Future Awards for our One Man Can Campaign. We were also a runner-up in the Interpersonal/Community Category at the 2012 AfriComNet Awards for Excellence in HIV and AIDS Communication in Africa.
In January 2012 Sonke was recognised by the French National Consultative Commission on Human Rights as one of six “distinguished” organisations out of 160 applicants. As a young organisation – established only in 2006 – Sonke was proud to be mentioned alongside organisations that are recognised globally for their pioneering work.
Also in January 2012, Sonke was recognised by Philanthropedia as one of the top-performing organisations working globally to end violence against women. The recognition was created by a global survey of 80 experts from 60 NGOs, research institutions and philanthropic organisations.
In 2007, founders and directors of Sonke, Dean Peacock and Bafana Khumalo won the Men’s Health Best Man Award in the Public Service category. The award recognised the two men’s efforts to halt the spread of HIV and AIDS and to stop all forms of gender-based violence in South Africa.
South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper recognised Sonke’s activists Thami Nkosi and Jean-Marie Nkurunziza in 2009 and 2011 respectively as young South Africans to watch out for.
In a speech on 13 October 2011 in which he outlined the UK Government’s development priorities, the Department for International Development’s parliamentary representative, Stephen O’Brien, applauded the work of Sonke’s One Man Can campaign and voiced his support for the need to work with men and boys to promote gender equality.
Recognitions for Promising or Best Practice
- World Health Organisation’s 2012 Male Involvement in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Paper
- UNAIDS Innovative Approaches For Women And Girls Best Practices Report for the 2011 High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS
- UNAID Best Practices Report for 2011 International Aids Society Conference Community Innovation: Achieving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Women And Girls through The HIV Response
- World Health Organisation 2010: Addressing violence against women and HIV/AIDS: What works?
- ACTION AID 2009 Compendium of promising practices: Together we must end violence against women and girls and HIV and AIDS: Emerging practices addressing the intersection
- Global Business Coalition Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Initiative – Men as Champions for Family Health: A Workplace Initiative
- USAID Report on Engaging Men For Gender Equality and Improved Reproductive Health
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Brothers for Life
Launched in August 2009, Brothers for Life (BfL) is a joint campaign by Johns Hopkins Health and Education South Africa (JHHESA), the National Department of Health (NDoH), the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) and Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke). It is a coalition of nearly 50 organisations spread across South Africa’s nine provinces. BfL is a national mass media and community mobilisation campaign targeted at men over the age of 30, with a focus on the range of risk factors driving the spread of HIV and AIDS, including gender based violence (GBV), alcohol, and multiple concurrent partners. Sonke implements the community mobilisation component of the campaign.
The importance of focusing on men is centred on the following prevailing norms/situations:
- Men as decision-makers influencing behaviour such as multiple concurrent partnerships, condom use and HIV testing.
- Traditional norms influencing notions of manhood.
- The role of alcohol and substance abuse resulting in diminished rational capacity and the influence on sexual behavior.
- The low trends of health-seeking behavior in men.
- Male health and wellness not receiving enough focus.
- Men and responsible fatherhood, including involvement in Antenatal Care and Prevention of Mother to Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT) and general lack of male involvement in family health issues.
The following are listed as key interventions in the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV and AIDS and STIs 2007-2011, which guide the development of messages and activities of the BfL Campaign:
- Accelerate programmes to empower women and educate men and women on women and human rights.
- Support national efforts to strengthen social cohesion in communities and to support the institution of the family.
- Introduce programmes to mitigate the impact of alcohol and substance abuse.
- Develop a comprehensive package that promotes male sexual health and which addresses gender and GBV.
The overall goal of this project is to contribute to the prevention of new HIV infections and GBV in South Africa, by addressing men’s limited involvement in fatherhood, encouraging men to reduce risky behaviours, increase their use of HIV related services, and challenging gender inequalities that are driving the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS. In particular, the project works to bring about a change in men’s attitudes and behaviour to reduce the incidence of multiple concurrent partnerships, alcohol and substance abuse and the use of violence.
To achieve its goal, Sonke mobilises its broad network of partners to implement BfL campaign activities to encourage men in communities towards making safer choices about sex and sexuality in their lives and valuing the importance of a lifestyle that will not be detrimental to their health.
BfL has a strong focus on voluntary medical male circumcision (MMC) as part of HIV prevention. Sonke, through SANAC Men’s Sector, supports safe circumcision i.e. Medical Male Circumcision and Traditional Male Circumcision conducted by registered circumcision schools that are supervised by government departments. Sonke provides technical support for advocacy, education and communication with a theme of shared responsibilities among the key stakeholders. The groups targeted include initiates, parents, female partners, traditional leaders, the NDoH, civil society partners, South African Police Service (SAPS), Department of Justice (DoJ), Human Rights Commission (HRC), and mainstream and community media.
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About Us
Sonke Gender Justice is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation, established in 2006. Today, Sonke has established a growing presence on the African continent and plays an active role internationally. Sonke works to create the change necessary for men, women, young people and children to enjoy equitable, healthy and happy relationships that contribute to the development of just and democratic societies. Sonke pursues this goal across Southern Africa by using a human rights framework to build the capacity of government, civil society organisations and citizens to achieve gender equality, prevent gender-based violence and reduce the spread of HIV and the impact of AIDS.
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UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) and Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) announce the launch of the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship. Commencing in August 2019, the programme will provide specialised training to top graduates from South African law schools for careers as impact-oriented public interest lawyers in the areas of health, human rights, HIV prevention, and gender equality.
UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) and Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke) launched the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship in 2011 and, to date, it has produced 11 top public interest lawyers and advocates. The programme provides specialised training to top graduates from South African law schools for careers as impact-oriented public interest lawyers in the areas of health, human rights, HIV prevention, and gender equality.
Details of the Fellowship
The Fellowship offers a full-tuition grant to enrol in UCLA Law’s Master of Law Program (LL.M.) and assists Fellows in securing living and travel expenses for their studies. It also offers the opportunity to apply for a one-year Fellowship placement with Sonke’s Policy Development and Advocacy unit.
Fellows will enrol in UCLA Law’s David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy (PILP). Through its various workshops and seminars, Fellows will meet PILP students and faculty, and grapple with current challenges faced in public interest legal practice. Students will enrol in the course Human Rights and Sexual Politics, which address a range of issues such as sexual and reproductive health rights, sex work, LGBTIQ+ and access to health care. Each UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellow will also elect other related courses and author a substantial writing assignment on a health, human rights, and/or gender equality-related legal issue facing South Africa. To prepare for American legal studies, Fellows will start off their curriculum by enrolling in a Summer introductory course, American Law in a Global Context.
For more detailed information about the fellowship, please download the brochure.
Eligibility & award conditions
The UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship is open to legal professionals and law graduates holding LL.B. degrees classified second class (division one) or higher from South African law school programmes. Competitive applicants will also have a demonstrated commitment to health, human rights, or gender equality, and work or volunteer experience in this area. Note that non-South African applicants must have a valid work permit.
As a condition of the award, Fellows will be asked to certify that they will return to Africa upon completion of their LL.M. degree, and commit to a public interest career that promotes health, human rights, and gender equality in the African region for at least one year.
Application information
Applicants must complete the online application for UCLA Law’s LL.M. programme and the supplemental application for the UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship.
UCLA Law’s LL.M. online application is at www.law.ucla.edu/llm.
Please download the fellowship application form here.
Applicants are currently open and the due date for the online application for UCLA Law’s LL.M. programme and the Fellowship application form is March 15, 2020.
Please direct questions about the fellowship to hhrfellowship@genderjustice.org.za, and questions about UCLA Law’s online LL.M. application procedure to llmapplicant@law.ucla.edu.
Project partners & leadership
UCLA School of Law is the youngest top law school in the U.S., has pioneered innovative specialisations and cutting-edge research centers, and has long been committed to skills training courses that offer students hands-on lawyering experience as they master legal doctrine.
Sonke Gender Justice is recognised internationally for its pioneering work on supporting men, boys, women and girls to promote gender equality, to prevent gender-based violence, and to reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS across Africa.
Leadership
The UCLA Law – Sonke Health & Human Rights Fellowship will be co-directed by Lara Stemple, Director of Graduate Studies at UCLA School of Law, and Bafana Khumalo, acting Co-executive Director at Sonke Gender Justice.
Lara Stemple is the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies and International Programs at UCLA School of Law, where she oversees the law school’s LL.M. (masters) and S.J.D. (doctoral) degree programs. Stemple teaches and writes in the areas of human rights, global health, gender, sexuality, HIV and AIDS, and incarceration. Stemple currently serves on the Board of Directors of Just Detention International, the Advisory Board of UCLA’s Center for the Study of Women, and is part of the Leadership Core for the new UC Global Health Institute’s Center of Expertise on Women’s Health and Empowerment. -
Refugee Health & Rights
The overall vision of this project is to engage refugees and asylum seekers in different settings in efforts to prevent and respond to HIV and AIDS and gender-based violence (GBV) in Gauteng and the Western Cape, as well as to support asylum seekers and refugees in securing their rights and accessing essential social services.
Sonke’s Refugee Health and Rights Project (RHR) has six objectives:
- Raising awareness and knowledge with regard to RHR.
- Create awareness and motivate men and women to access HIV Counselling and Treatment (HCT) services through information, education and communication (IEC) talks in the targeted areas.
- Distribution of male and female condoms.
- Peer education and Community Action Teams (CAT) training.
- Increase focus on men in HCT campaigns and outreach in the targeted areas.
- Conduct training and technical support to partner organisations to involve men in activities, leading to the reduction of HIV and AIDS and violence against women and children, through support groups and male and female condom distribution.
These objectives are achieved through:
- Addressing gender issues that lead to the spread of HIV and impact of AIDS within communities, through workshops with groups of refugees and discussions on issues pertaining to refugee rights.
- Conducting workshops and activities in schools.
- Sharing HIV prevention messages at the Department of Home Affairs premises in different languages.
Our work is supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Foundation for Human Rights, United States Government, Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
