The triple effect Tuesday.

Tuesday, I choose to honour womxn who have stood up for humanity and the rights of others. I salute Wendy Isaacks, Carrie Shelver, Thokozani Ndaba. I met these power houses when I began my training through POWA, a women’s human rights organisation which provides support to women survivors of sexual and domestic violence. 

Over the years we have galvanised, marched and created safe spaces for womxn in all areas. Here is little insight into their work and how they are changing the narrative in terms of gender equality, LGBQTI rights and humanity across the world.

Wendy Isaack (B. Proc., LLM), is a feminist lawyer with over 12 years of professional experience in the public sector, in the substantive areas of sexual orientation and gender identity issues and women’s human rights more generally.

Wendy holds a master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a master’s degree in International Law with a focus on Transitional Justice and the Rule of Law from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.

Wendy is also a researcher in the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Wendy worked as Adjunct Professor at the Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic, City University of New York (CUNY) and as an international law consultant for UN Women, Palestine Office. Wendy served as Human Rights Specialist at UN Women, providing policy support in respect of intergovernmental processes in New York and Geneva, responsible for providing technical support to the CEDAW Committee in its elaboration of General Recommendation No. 30 on the protection of women’s human rights in conflict and post-conflict contexts.

She has worked for major public interest litigation organisations in South Africa, including the Legal Resources Centre and as an attorney in the Business and Human Rights Programme at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS). In addition to her work at the United Nations, she worked as Manager of the Legal Services and Advocacy Programme at People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA)Wendy is currently completing her Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration as a Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge. Her expertise is in international humanitarian law and policy, as well as the law of occupation.

Thokozani Ndaba

Thokozani Ndaba is a South African theatre practitioner, activist and performer, whose work comprises activism, education, and research. She is a former Ford Foundation Fellowship recipient who completed her Master’s Degree at New York University’s Steinhardt Educational Theatre. Ndaba holds a BA in Applied Drama and Theatre from the University of Witwatersrand. Ndaba works on social justice issues using Theatre of the Oppressed techniques and a range of applied theatre methodologies. She uses theatre as a facilitation tool in communities and as an educational tool within the classroom. She is the founder and director of Ntethelelo Foundation in Johannesburg. Ndaba works with different institutions and organisations in southern Africa and internationally where she tackles human rights violations. She raises awareness through theatre on LGBTI issues by training service providers.

The founder of the Ntethelelo Foundation

The Ntethelelo Foundation aims to create a safe space with the aim of enabling support for social and behavioural change, healing and personal growth amongst marginalised communities of youth, girls, young womxn and the LGBTI community.

Thokozani, works with different institutions and organisations in the Southern African Region, nationally and internationally to tackle human rights violations.
As a theatre practitioner, activist and facilitator, Ndaba’s work comprises activism, education, and research. She is a former Ford Foundation Fellowship recipient who completed her Master’s Degree at New York University’s Steinhardt Educational Theatre. Ndaba holds a BA in Applied Drama and Theatre from the University of Witwatersrand.
Thokozani does excellent work on social justice issues using Theatre of the Oppressed techniques and a range of other applied theatre methodologies. She uses theatre as a facilitation tool in communities and as an educational tool within the classroom.
Their services:
Develop and deliver education and literacy improvement programs.
Community Engagements and Youth Empowerment Programs.
Support communities affected HIV and AIDS through outreach.
Support LGBTI through education and community dialogue.
Support survivors of abuse and sexual violence through workshop intervention and referrals for counseling.
Develop and deliver training programs for the integration and rehabilitation of offenders.
Develop and deliver training programs for service providers (police officers, health workers and educators) to increase emotional intelligence.
Organize shelter and drop-in center for womyn.

Carrie Shelver:

Carrie Shelver is a feminist activist and the Advocacy Manager at the Coalition of African Lesbians. Carrie has been involved in women’s rights, LGBT and social justice activism since the late 1990s in South Africa. Carrie has a background in political science, adult education and a keen interest in developing and applying arts-based feminist methodologies in consciousness raising and movement building.

The Coalition of African lesbians.

The Coalition of African Lesbians is a feminist, activist and Pan Africanist network of 14 organisations in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa committed to advancing freedom, justice and bodily autonomy for all women on the African continent and beyond.
They are committed to raising consciousness amongst and strengthening activism and leadership of lesbian women on sexuality and gender and its intersections with a wide range of lived realities. They understand the place of Africa in the world and work in ways that affirm African agency and power to contribute to transformative change on the continent and in the world.
The Coalition believe in the power of collective action and view themselves as a part of social movements, including the women’s movement, the sexual and reproductive rights movement and the economic justice movement.

The Coalition of African Lesbians builds with others a feminist future where social justice prevails and where we as Africans live in dignity and freedom and work in solidarity with our friends all over the world to create transformatory change.
Advocacy is the lead Programme at CAL. Their advocacy work is with movements. They believe that change happens through collective action coupled with passion and commitment to transformatory ideas and building friendship and solidarity between peoples and across geographic spaces and multiple locations. Policy advocacy is a small element in this. Holding those in power accountable for the changes is another means to achieve these ends. They are concerned in their advocacy with four domains of change – structural/systemic, institutional, ideological and personal/intrapersonal and interpersonal change.

End.