Powa
Community Service in Johannesburg

POWA is a “feminist, women’s rights organisation that provides both services, and engages in advocacy in order to ensure the realisation of women’s rights and thereby improve women’s quality of life”.
Working closely with all programmes and services of POWA, the Department’s strategy centres on building individual, organisational and community capacity to respond to and prevent violence against women.
As one of our core frontline services, POWA provides shelter services for clients who have been the victims of GBV.
We actively participate in national advocacy campaigns, such as the 1 in 9 Campaign and the Triple Seven Campaign, and as member of the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights, a network of 26 Civil Society Organisations and Development Partners.

POWA’s uniqueness as an organisation is in providing both services to survivors and engaging in advocacy using a feminist and intersectional analysis. Our work is rooted in the belief that change can only be said to be effective when women’s lives are directly improved through our interventions. We also believe that there is no single route to change, and thus constantly seek new and creative approaches in our programming to achieve the change we seek. As one of our core frontline services, POWA provides shelter services for clients (and their children where relevant) who have been the victims of GBV. POWA also provides several forms of counselling to clients (including shelter clients), such as face-to-face counselling, support groups (facilitated by a social worker) and telephone counselling and referrals. The Legal and Advocacy Department at POWA also assist women (approximately 50 per month) with telephonic and face-to-face-legal advice to women, court preparation and support, and referral to other professionals and practitioners (pro bono). Keeping the gender based violence sector and other related and relevant sectors informed about violence against women and gender based violence is essential in ensuring that responses address the needs of women in South Africa and the sub-region. The overall goal of the research department is to create and continually update feminist knowledge on violence and against women in order to inform and ensure effective women-centred interventions and provide information to the wider community. The findings of POWA’s are translated into research into publications, presentations and advocacy briefs and plain language leaflets. The Research department provides POWA with critical information and feminist analysis which informs our planning, monitoring and evaluation of the programs and services of the organisation. POWA was formed in 1979 by a group of women volunteers in order to provide referral services and shelter to women experiencing domestic violence. POWA was the first organisation to establish a shelter for abused women in 1981, and pioneered second stage (or transitional) housing for women in 2009 in Gauteng. The direct services delivery component of the organisation forms the basis of and informs all advocacy interventions, at local, nation and regional level. With over 30 years of history behind us, we have become an organization that is considered to be an expert on issues of women’s rights we are consulted by the private sector, government and civil society on educational and decision-making matters pertaining to women’s safety and enjoyment of their rights.