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Empowering communities and breaking the cycle of abuse
COPESSA is a multi-award-winning not-for-profit organisation that was founded with the aim of preventing violence against women and children.
WHO ARE WE?
Empowering communities and breaking the cycle of abuse.
Our organisation, COPESSA (Community-based Prevention and Empowerment Strategies in South Africa), now in its 21st year, is a proven leader in the community-based prevention of gender-based violence (GBV) affecting women, LGBTQI+ individuals, and children. Our award-winning programming addresses the root causes and consequences of GBV through a combination of skills development, social innovation, community mobilisation, and counselling. We serve a deeply indigent community where unemployment, poverty, drug use, and harmful gender norms create a fertile ground for violence and disempowerment.
Our Background Story
COPESSA was founded to address the ubiquity of violence against women and children in the Protea Glen community. Following the brutal assault of a 6-year-old girl, who was raped and left to die in the veld in Alexandra Township in 2000, a group of women joined together to form the iSililo campaign – which translates to a women’s cry in isiZulu – and following several consultative iindabas, COPESSA’s was formed.
Our initial focus was on violence against children (VAC) but has since evolved to include women. This holistic approach was necessitated by the intersection of VAC and violence against women (VAW), which we confirmed through research conducted in the community in 2019.
We prevent VAC and VAW by using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ‘INSPIRE’ and ‘RESPECT’ Frameworks.
Make a difference today
OUR MISSION
We prevent VAC and VAW by:
- Mobilising communities
- Creating supportive environments for women & children, both within their homes & the general community
- Promoting social and behaviour change
- Giving psycho-social support to survivors of violence,
Engaging in and promoting community participatory research.
OUR VISION
To be leaders in community-driven and supported prevention of Violence against Children (VAC) and Gender-based Violence (GBV), especially Violence against Women (VAW) in Africa.
TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND
COPESSA came into being as a result of many consultative ‘iindabas,’ led by a group of women called ‘iSililo – a Women’s Cry.’ This campaign followed the brutal rape of ‘baby Tshepang,’ (not her real name), in 2000.
Our initial focus was on violence against children (VAC) but has since evolved to include women. This holistic approach was necessitated by the intersection of VAC and Violence Against Woman (VAW), which we confirmed through research we conducted in our community in 2019.
We prevent VAC and VAW by using the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘INSPIRE’ and ‘RESPECT’ Frameworks.
COPESSA THEORY OF CHANGE (TOC)
We believe that we can decrease the prevalence of VAC, VAW & GBV by increasing the knowledge, shifting attitudes and changing social norms that make GBV acceptable and tolerated in our community.
COPESSA programme is premised on the following human rights-based and research-supported foundation:
- The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially SDG 5,16
- The Republic of South Africa Constitution especially Articles 9,10,11, 28
- The Republic of South Africa National Strategic Plan (on Gender-based Violence & Femicide)
INVOLVE NOW
Empowering communities and breaking the cycle of abuse
Have you donated to COPESSA and require a tax exemption certificate?
As a not-for-profit organisation that gives all its services to the community at no cost to them, COPESSA has to fundraise for all its running and project costs. All donations made to COPESSA are tax-deductible.
COPESSA’s flagship projects are aimed at addressing the root causes and social drivers of violence against women and children, chief of which is pervasive poverty. For a holistic approach, we use a socio-ecological model and the World Health Organization’s INSPIRE and RESPECT research-informed strategies, to craft the various projects. Community participation is critical in the effectiveness and sustainability of these projects.
WHO ARE WE
Meet The COPESSA Team
CEO
Dr Nobs is a medical practitioner whose dreams and aspirations cannot be contained within the confines of a hospital or clinic. She was born and raised in the Eastern Cape. She strives for excellence in all areas of her life. She established Zamokuhle Child Centre, in 1995, a first community-based child abuse clinic in Soweto, and later co-founded COPESSA in 2000. Through COPESSA she aims to holistically address the root causes of this social ill, and Gender-based Violence in general. Dr Nobs holds a Medical degree and two Master degrees in Science and Public Health, all from the University of Witwatersrand; Advanced Management Programme (Manchester University) and Certificate in Child Law (University of Pretoria). She was inducted as an Ashoka Fellow in 2014 and is also a fellow of the African Leadership Institute. She serves on the MTN Foundation Board
Deputy Treasurer
Yvonne has a Master of Industrial relations from the University of Sydney and an MBA from the University of Canberra while in exile in Australia. Since returning to South Africa in 1994, she has established a career at C- suite level in two of South Africa’s leading private healthcare organisations, Medscheme and Life Healthcare. In addition to executing her responsibilities in Branding, Communication and Transformation in these two organisations, she has leveraged her executive positions to transform organisational employment practices to represent the country’s demographics and to embrace broad-based black economic empowerment. She also drove both organisations’ corporate social investment programmes and expenditures to benefit disadvantaged communities by focussing on health and education.
Treasurer
Njabulo Mchunu, holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Accounting from University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and is a Chartered accountant (South Africa).His recent experience positions as the Chief Financial Officer at Tshwane North TVET College, KZN Department of Community Safety and Liaison and UMgungundlovu District Municipality. Njabulo has vast experience in finance, governance, and auditing and currently serves in Audit Committees of, Ingwe TVET College (Chairperson), Umsinga Local Municipality and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (Chairperson).
Bafana has the following qualifications: B Com; CIS; ILPA; CFP. He also holds the following fellowships: FCIBM (Fellow of the Institute of Business Management); FCIS (Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries); FILPA (Fellow of the Institute of Life and Pension Advisors). He is currently running his own Development Company.
Empowering communities and breaking the cycle of abuse.
Our approach to VAC and VAW prevention: Is grounded on the following theories
- Socio-ecological Model of Change, especially
- The Hierarchy of Effects Model
- Theory of Planned Behaviour
- Social Learning Theory
- Positive Deviance
- Theories of Social Norms, Gender and Power
WHO FUNDS US:
We are profoundly grateful for all donations, however small or big. Below, we acknowledge all major donors in last and current financial years, ending 28 February 2022.
SocialDev
They subsidise the salaries of two social workers, one auxiliary social worker, and four volunteers. This staff forms the backbone of our service delivery to victims and survivors of GBV and violence against children.
Projects-Concern-Manufacturing
The donation was used towards the operational costs of the Centre, which have in the past year decreased due to Covid-19 amid increased demand for our services.
Sage Net
Former Weltwaets volunteers from Germany crowd -funded to assist the organization during the Covid pandemic
Barloworld
The donation was used towards improving service safety, accessibility, and availability, which were negatively affected by Covid-19 pandemic.
