Johannesburg, 05 March 2025: The 2025 Voice and Choice Linking and Learning Summit brought together activists, partners, and grantees from across Southern Africa for two days of knowledge sharing, networking, and celebration. With over 60 presentations from grantees of the Voice and Choice Southern Africa Fund (VCSAF) and the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership Fund (RWVL) – Multi-Year Core grantees (MYC), the summit highlighted impactful projects advancing gender equality and social justice and provided a platform for grantees to showcase their achievements, share best practices, and strengthen partnerships.
The summit concluded with an awards ceremony recognising outstanding contributions in various categories. The 26 awards (11 winners and 14 runner ups) covered five theme categories in Organisational Growth, Movement Building, Driver of change, Story of change and Communications and Reach. South African grantees received 19 awards, Tanzania 3, Zimbabwe 2, Lesotho and Malawi received one award each. Nifin`akanga Movement from Madagascar received the special commendation in the Organisational Growth category.
At the Gala dinner, the youngest executive director at the summit Obakeg Sehume addressed the crowd and said, “I stand before you today not just as Obokeng Sehume, but as a representative of the youth. Tonight, I want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our donors, Global Affairs Canada and the implementing partner, Gender Links. Your unwavering support empowers us to continue our mission of social empowerment and leadership development. With your help, we are not only providing resources and opportunities for marginalised communities but also fostering a community where everyone can thrive.” “As they say, “Behind every successful person is a tribe of others who have their back.” And tonight, I can confidently say that our tribe is strong, united, and ready to take on the world!”
A key highlight of the summit was the launch of the 15th edition of the SADC Gender Protocol Barometer and the sixth to focus specifically on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR),as well as the official launch of the Voice and Choice Fund founded the Safe Abortion Alliance of Southern Africa at the Learning and Sharing summit in November 2023. The Voice and Choice Barometer is a critical resource tracking progress on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) across the 16 SADC countries. It provides an in-depth analysis of 100 indicators covering menstrual health, family planning, adolescent SRHR, safe abortion, HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence, and more. It highlights both progress and persistent gaps, emphasizing the need for continued action to advance SRHR policies and practices in alignment with the SADC SRHR Strategy 2019-2030.
This edition also showcases 22 case studies from Voice and Choice partners in eight Southern African countries. These initiatives are supported by 38 organisations funded through the Voice and Choice Southern Africa Fund (VCSAF), managed by Gender Links and financed by Amplify Change from 2022 to 2024, highlight innovative approaches to SRHR advocacy and policy improvement.
A core objective of Day two of the summit was to facilitate meaningful connections among grantees, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange across thematic areas. The networking and partnership sessions emphasized: Cross-Thematic Partnerships; Service Expansion; Joint Campaigns and Advocacy; Research & Media Collaboration; Fundraising and Sustainability and the Establishment of a Support Hubs.
Through these networking and partnership-building activities, the summit reinforced the commitment of VCSAF and RWVL to supporting grassroots organizations and movement-building efforts for women’s empowerment and social justice.
The Women’s Voice and Leadership fund aims to ensure the increased enjoyment of human rights by women and girls, and the advancement of gender equality in South Africa. WVL supports women’s organisations and movements that seek to empower women and girls and advance the protection of women’s and girls’ rights in line with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy. This project is part of Canada’s Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Program. This initiative supports 48 women’s rights organizations and LBTQI+ groups across South Africa, enhancing their capacity to advance gender equality. Key activities include funding for core programs, organizational strengthening, and advocacy skills development to reach structurally excluded women, girls, and gender non-binary individuals. By fostering collaboration, this project strengthens South Africa’s women’s movement, aiming to impact 117,000 people.
The VCSAF and RWVL remain committed to supporting grassroots organisations and movement-building efforts for women’s empowerment and social justice.
For more information, or further information on presentations please contact the RWVL Grants Manager Nomthandazo Mankazana on grants1@genderlinks.org.za or 067 738 4113 via WhatsApp.