Past projects

Anglican Overseas Aid had an association with the Diocese of Grahamstown from 1990, and from 1999 worked with the Department of Social Responsibility (DSR) in the Eastern Cape Province. Project activities took place in the Districts of Amathole and Cacadu around King Williamstown, in some of the poorest areas of South Africa.

At 30 June 2020, our program in South Africa with the DSR, Diocese of Grahamstown, came to a close. The program activities showed significant change and success over the years and the Diocese is capably sustaining the benefits of this long-term work.

The partnership came about from a request for assistance in advocacy made by the then Bishop. By 2004 the focus of Anglican Overseas Aid’s programming support was the prevention of HIV and AIDS (through awareness raising, community education, community-based care to vulnerable groups, nutrition and food security).

Work with people affected by HIV evolved into the Sinakho Safe Community Network Project, which ended on 30 June, 2020. Dynamic women leaders were equipped to become a grass-roots Safe Persons Network, with training in human and legal rights, women-centred responses to violence and abuse, and counselling. Men also played an important role in modelling behaviour change, as did civil society organisations such as churches and Community-Based Organisations, as well as duty-bearers such as the police.

The Safe Persons Network strengthened community efforts to protect women and children from violence, and advocated for action on crime by their local police and justice system. The result was that vulnerable people felt safer and had greater confidence to report sexual assault.

This project also supported vulnerable women by increasing their ability to feed their families through permaculture skills and community gardens.

Funding: This project was funded by grants from the Australian Government’s aid program and donations from the Australian public.