FAITH LEADERS TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME

A new and innovative Faith Leaders Gender Transformation Programme (FLGTP), under the leadership of WWSOSA is running in response to requests from churches and organisations to guide them to end gender-based violence
Following on from the success of the experimental Pilot 1 where participants were co-creators of the programme, the second pilot is underway, and has attracted faith leaders from diverse Christian churches and organisations from different parts of South Africa, including pastors, lay priests, leaders of women’s and men’s organisations/ministries and youth pastors.

Preparation for Pilot 3 is taking the approach of developing an interfaith FLGTP curriculum. This involves a consultative process which will continue for some months. It has been centred on deep listening to what each other’s faiths have to speak into the context of GBV in South Africa, with a view to agreeing on common and particular themes, methodology and learning approaches that create safety as well as rigorous conversations.

 Almost 20 organisations are part of this leadership. Key active partners include University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Gender and Religion Programme, UNISA’s Institute for Gender Studies (IGS), Ujamaa Centre, Side by Side Global Faith Network for Gender Justice, Uthingo Network and Heartlines. The programme is endorsed by partners, including UN Women, ACT Ubumbano and several Southern African Churches.

The aim is to equip the faith sector to become effective and credible contributors to the National Strategic Plan on GBV and Femicide.

The programme guides participants through theory, theology, personal reflection and action pertaining to sexual and gender-based violence from faith perspectives as well as deeply engaging diverse viewpoints amongst the participants to stimulate impactful and survivor-centred strategies for whole-institutional change.

The second pilot of the FLGTP programme has attracted faith leaders from diverse Christian churches and organisations from different parts of South Africa, including pastors and priests, lay ministers, leaders of women’s and men’s organisations/ministries, youth pastors and a survivors’ shelter.