The Edmund Rice Justice Desk
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Mission Statement
Justice Desk Africa: Promoting the power of everyday activists! Isn’t it shocking to think about how many people still don’t know about or have access to their fundamental Human Rights? We believe that by empowering ordinary people to understand and defend their Human Rights, they can transform society and create a more just and equal world. In order to achieve this, we develop and offer 17 education, training, bridging, and advocacy projects across South Central Africa. We work alongside communities, civil society, NGOs, businesses, and governments to challenge and eliminate the root causes of injustice. Since 2013, we have directly impacted the lives of over 2 million people!
About This Cause
Dear Change-maker, Justice Desk Africa, founded in 2013 is dedicated to promoting human rights and empowering everyday activists. In South Africa, we operate primarily in township areas and vulnerable communities like Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Langa, and Bonteheuwel, Justice Desk Africa envisions a world where justice, equality, and human rights prevail, empowering communities to thrive with dignity and unity. Justice Desk Africa also works in Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leon and Kenya through our Youth Ambassador program. Central to our mission is the empowerment of young people to become activists and agents of social change in their communities. Justice Desk Africa uses a Gender Justice approach, recognising the need to challenge societal norms and behaviours perpetuating GBV and systemic injustice. By equipping youth with tools to challenge violence and injustice, they foster positive social and political change. Our programs emphasise inclusivity and empowerment, ensuring marginalised voices, including LGBTQI individuals, are heard and supported. In this context, Justice Desk Africa's work is crucial in addressing these intersecting challenges and empowering communities to assert their rights and advocate for change. By providing education on human rights, GBV awareness, and advocacy skills, the organisation equips individuals with the knowledge and tools to challenge systemic injustices and promote social justice. Justice Desk Africa educates, advocates for and equips youth, vulnerable groups, civil society, and governments in human rights, justice and advocacy; in a holistic manner focusing on 1. Human Rights Education 2. Protection of Children’s Rights & 3. Addressing Gender-based violence (GBV) through five key programs. 1. The Mbokodo Program equips young girl survivors of rape and GBV from 4 underserved township communities outside of Cape Town City Centre with the tools and skills to become powerful women leaders who support other women and girls to access their rights and freedoms in their communities. The program caters to 90 girls between the ages of 13 to 19 years and their families. 2. The iNtsika yeThemba (“Pillars of Hope”) Program equips & empowers young boys and men to from high-crime underserved communities with little or no positive male role models to become women’s rights defenders and champions. Through mentorship and outdoor adventure-based education, Ntsika yeThemba re-defines and builds positive ideas and actions of masculinity. The program caters to 90 boys between the ages of 13 to 19 years and their families. 3. The Youth Ambassador’s Program involves the training, mentoring and equipping of our Youth Ambassadors across 40 schools, as well as children in schools from across Africa and the globe who have signed up for our program! It is made accessible to Deaf learners and sight-impaired learners. This program is implemented across the 8 countries, Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leon and Kenya; and reaches 165 Youth Ambassadors that are trained to lead Justice Societies in their schools and 80 Advocacy teachers to support the youth ambassadors and the justice societies. the justice societies reach over 5000 learners annually through school based trainings, campaigns and information sharing sessions hosted by Youth Ambassadors. 4. The Training & Education Program focuses on training vulnerable communities and schools across SA in Human Rights & Advocacy & anti- GBV. It also focuses on creating context-specific educational materials on all the above-mentioned topics including curriculum development for community empowerment programs. This program also focuses on working specifically with vulnerable communities in order to empower them with the knowledge and skills needed to identify their challenges, and lead their own positive change. The trainings focus on assisting communities in understanding their Human Rights, identifying systemic forms of injustice, as well as planning and coordinating advocacy initiatives aimed at engaging communities in mobilising for positive change to address injustice. Trainings include: Children’s Rights & Responsible Parenting Protection of Human Rights Anti-Human Trafficking Anti-Domestic Violence Anti-Drug Abuse Anti-Xenophobia Justice & Advocacy Gender Based Violence Gender Equality & Female Empowerment Conflict Resolution Sexual Health and Rights Servant Leadership Disability & Inclusion Environmental Rights 5. The Research & Advocacy Program works in our key focus areas and: 1 Engages in grassroots/local lobbying & creates platforms for those often left behind due to poverty & inequality; 2. Engages in International lobbying through UN submissions and leveraging partners at ERI & beyond 3. Creates high-impact & accessible advocacy videos. Justice Desk Africa's key focal areas are Gender-based Violence, Human Rights Education and Children’s Rights. Furthermore, Justice Desk Africa's programs are designed to be culturally sensitive and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. By engaging with local leaders, stakeholders, and community members, the organisation ensures that its interventions are contextually relevant and respectful of cultural norms and practices. Overall, the context in which Justice Desk Africa operates presents both challenges and opportunities. While systemic inequalities and cultural norms pose significant barriers to progress, the organisation's commitment to grassroots empowerment and advocacy enables it to drive meaningful change and create a more just and equitable society. Through strategic interventions and collaborative efforts, Justice Desk Africa continues to make a tangible impact on the lives of the focus populations it serves in South Africa. SCHOOL TRAININGS This initiatives believes that learners are not only our future, but they are our present as well, and therefore have the responsibility to engage in how they want their world to be. These trainings are requested by schools and we then facilitate them to equip children as young as 11, and as mature as 18, to understand and value their Human Rights, visioning for their futures, and engaging in establishing safe and productive communities. Equipping youth with the ability to engage their communities in advocacy initiatives and how to run campaigns on the issues they face, is a major component of these trainings.