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The South African government has received a donation of 50 million rand from the United Kingdom, which will be channeled towards projects that support and promote the empowerment of women.
Vice Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Alvin Botes, received the monetary donation and participated in a signing ceremony with the UK government on Monday.
The donation is intended to expand the Solidarity Fund’s ongoing efforts to counter the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, with a particular focus on empowering women.
The British High Commission has identified programs that respond to gender-based violence and the economic empowerment of women, small and medium-sized businesses.
The funding will be used to support two existing humanitarian pillar projects, namely the second intervention in support of gender-based violence and agricultural input vouchers.
“We are delighted that the Solidarity Fund recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed an additional burden on marginalized women in South Africa.
“When jobs are lost, women are usually the first to face unemployment. When households are stressed by a contracting economy, women are the most affected by social frustration. So it is true that to heal a nation and regain economic fortunes, we must invest in women.
“To the British people, we want to say ‘it’s good to make new friends, but actually it’s better to keep old friends,’” Botes said upon receiving the donation.
The deputy minister said the Covid-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for greater international cooperation and a multilateral approach to solve the world’s greatest challenges.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has confirmed that the impact of transnational challenges can only be mitigated through multilateral responses and through better interstate cooperation.
“South Africa and the United Kingdom maintain that strategic partnership within the framework of our bilateral relations, and we regard the United Kingdom as a trustworthy person within the plethora of multilateral fora,” said Botes.
With the next 10 years identified as the decade of advancing women’s economic inclusion by the African Union under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the donation comes at an opportune time.
“This trilateral relationship between the South African government, the British High Commission and the Solidarity Fund serves as an important instrument in responding to the economic alienation of South African women.
“Our trilateral relationship demonstrates a shared commitment to harness the repository of state and non-state actors in the fight against gender-based violence, which is the product of gender inequalities and patriarchy.
“Gender violence is the highest manifestation of sexist domination and it exists because patriarchy gave men enormous symbolic and material power. This violence is a consequence of the construction of masculinity in patriarchal societies, ”said the deputy minister.
Read: This is the help that the United States has given to South Africa to help fight the coronavirus
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