Uniting through common values

Some men in South Africa struggle with women taking positions of power and view it as an attack on their manhood. PACSA runs gender workshops to address this problem [PACSA]

PACSA has learned that nation building in South Africa is about more than simply democracy – equality and respect for others are crucial to fostering a sense of belonging

In a country with rife unemployment and where many households are headed up by children because of the high rate of AIDS-related deaths among adults, dreaming of a better future is tough for the next generation to do.

PACSA (Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Awareness) works with many groups of disaffected young people – for whom building a better future is tough when surrounded by such huge inequalities.

South Africa remains a country with pockets of great wealth, on the doorsteps of those living in extreme poverty – a paradox which can easily crush the spirit of those with nothing.

PACSA’s director Daniela Gennrich says: “Many young people are either making negative decisions, or no decisions at all, about their lives.

“Higher education is expensive and the support systems are not in place for those people’s dreams. One person even said to me that they had learned long ago not to dream, because dreaming only led to frustration.”

Poverty and HIV

Fighting for more economic justice goes hand in hand with access to democracy, and PACSA works hard on empowering the poor to be fully active “citizens” in post-apartheid South Africa.

But issues such as poverty and HIV and AIDS underpin every aspect of life for those struggling to participate in the hard-won freedom.

Mervyn Abrahams, PACSA’s programme manager for economic justice and participatory democracy, says the gap between rich and poor grows ever wider.

“We should not deal with economic justice separately - it has to be linked to issues relating to democracy such as the constitution and human rights.

“That way it can be much more effective at deepening democracy by increasing access to it at all levels. Our leaders have worked hard to build a nation but a lot of people still feel sidelined.

“Political freedom without economic freedom can spell a hollow victory for the poor.”

Social disorder

The more that the whole population can feel truly engaged with the government, then the better the chances of building a true society from the ashes of apartheid and AIDS.

Economic literacy courses such as this one run by PACSA in South Africa help women become empowered and learn about their rights within a democracy [PACSA]

The social fabric in some areas of Kwa Zulu Natal Province all but collapsed during the years of struggle (which led to more than 13,000 deaths in ten years) and that has left a lot of disorder to deal with.

Daniela says: “The reality is that we now live and work in a society which is HIV positive. Among the adult population in certain areas, infection rates can be high as 45%. HIV and AIDS underpins all our programmes of work.

“Unemployment rates in some townships are up to 70-90%, which means young people remain dependent on their parents and problems such as drugs, alcohol and prostitution become common.”

Life skills

PACSA has developed workshops with these young people to teach them about issues such as leadership and what it means, gender relations, and making life-giving decisions in the context of huge changes.

The groups are then encouraged to work together on their own projects within their communities, and report back on what they have learned and what other youth have learned from them.

Daniela points out: “It is about teaching decision-making and living in ways that are different to their parents. Without such skills, their lives are vulnerable which is so destructive, particularly in the context of HIV.”

The church and theology also has a huge role to play in building the self-confidence and togetherness of an impoverished generation, and helping eradicate the growing problem of domestic violence, which can easily result from such hardships.

Thus far, many churches are silent about social issues, particularly HIV and domestic violence, and it struggles to overcome traditional views such as the blind obedience of women to their husbands, and inordinate power given to men.

Gender partnerships

PACSA is lobbying the South African church hard to use its power and influence within communities for the common good and to encourage the idea of a relationship being a partnership.

Some men struggle with women taking positions of power and view it as an attack on their manhood. They are unhappy with any woman who seems to be taking ownership of her life, and build defences because they think they are being attacked.

This is why an alternative theological understanding is necessary as, for many church-goers, theology forms the basis of their identity.

PACSA has begun a process of auditing the doctrines and statutes of all the main churches in its province in relation to gender and relationships.

Daniela comments: “We want to find out whether, either by its silence or its teachings, the church is being complicit in gender injustices and gender violence. Any institution which is afforded so much power is also open to abuses of that power.

“But we also manage to mobilise men and church leaders to act as role models on these issues. There are some amazing guys who risk so much by championing such a cause.”

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