South Africa : Empowering sustainability for vulnerable communities

Thabang Community Development Centre (Thabang CDC) is a long-standing community-based organisation operating in the Northern Cape for 24 years. The organisation was founded in response to widespread poverty, unemployment, HIV, TB, GBV, and social inequality affecting vulnerable groups including orphans and vulnerable children, unemployed youth, women affected by GBV, domestic workers, and indigent households.

Before its engagement with Gender Links, the organisation relied heavily on manual financial systems and programme-based tracking, which limited real-time reporting and visibility. Through participation in the Results and Communications for Change course, staff improved their ability to monitor impact, collect meaningful data, and communicate their work effectively through storytelling and social media. Training in Gender, Inclusion, and Development deepened the organisation’s ability to respond to GBV cases and strengthened knowledge of legal processes related to child protection and justice.

As a result, more survivors began speaking openly, seeking legal support, and accessing psychosocial services. Community dialogues, stakeholder collaboration, and consistent outreach further supported these changes. Economic empowerment initiatives played a central role: survivors received 50 layer chickens to generate income, while nine GBV-affected women completed garmentmaking training that enhanced employability and cooperative management skills.

Organisational governance also improved. Financial systems were strengthened through clearer audit trails, proper filing, monthly reconciliations, and updated safeguarding and HR policies. A new board was appointed and inducted, bringing stronger governance and accountability. Monitoring and evaluation processes were refined, enabling evidence-based decision-making and improved impact tracking.

Fundraising capacity increased, leading to approval of a two-year NACOSA Sex Worker Programme contract. SASSA also contributed fully equipped furniture to support the Social Enterprise, reducing overhead costs.

These improvements have made Thabang CDC significantly more resilient and sustainable. With stronger governance, empowered staff, and strengthened community interventions, the organisation is better positioned to deliver integrated social and health services. Other grantees can replicate this by prioritising governance strengthening, embedding monitoring and evaluation systems, and combining psychosocial support with economic empowerment initiatives.