SANGOCO

Global Day of Climate Action

Saturday the 6th December 2008, 11am-5pm,
Alexandra Children’s Library, 3rd Ave, Alexandra, Jhb

On the 6th December 2008, midway through the UNFCCC Climate Talks (COP 14/MOP 4) in Poland, the Greenhouse Project (www.greenhouse.org.za ) and South African Climate Action Network (http://www.sacan.org.za ) will once again call South Africans to join in International Demonstrations on Climate Change.

This year our event on the Global Day of Action aims to demonstrate and explain what the Greenhouse Effect is by inviting local people into our giant greenhouse! The idea is to stimulate conversation and debate around Climate Change and its potential impacts on ordinary South Africans as well as health, crops, pests and water.

On the day there will be a huge Greenhouse for people to explore. Inside, there will be an exhibition on Global Warming and Climate Change, its causes and effects and the question – “Are you feeling hot? So is the planet!”

As well as this, there will be the Climate Change ‘Mural of Hope’, which will draw attention to what people can do to prevent and adapt to dangerous Climate Change.

Invitation to 1 in 9 Campaign Exhibition: 25 Nov - 10 Dec

Dear feminists, activists, friends and comrades.

Please find attached an invitation to the One in Nine Campaign’s 16 Days of Activism titled WILDFIRE: Frontiers of Women’s Resistance. The exhibition is being held at the Ramparts at Constitution Hill, Kotze Street, Johannesburg.

The exhibition will be launched on 25 November 2008 at 18h00. Thereafter it will run for the duration of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, starting 26 November 2008 between 08h30 – 17h00.

One in Nine Campaign March Against Violence Against Woman: 15 November 2008

On Saturday 15 November thousands of feminists, women's rights activists and human rights defenders will take to the streets in Cape Town to march against violence against women and call for greater state accountability in the prevention of and response to gender based violence.

The march organized by the One in Nine Campaign, a South African advocacy coalition of 26 organisations, will be attended by participants from the Association of Women in Development (AWID) forum taking place in Cape Town from November 14 - 18, 2008. Over 2000 participants from countries across the world will attend the forum. Forum participants will be joined by human rights defenders and concerned members of public from in and around Cape Town.

PURPOSE OF THE MARCH

Worldwide women human rights defenders are targeted, raped, tortured and silenced while governments globally fail to provide redress and justice. The march is both to remember raped and murdered women in South Africa, highlighting specifically the cases of Khwezi, Buyisiwe, Thandeka, Eudy, Zoliswa, Gugu Dlamini, Nandipha Makeke, Lorna Mlofana, Sizakele & Salome, Christina & Hola, and to demand justice. The march is in solidarity with women human rights defenders who are harassed, beaten, detained, murdered, highlighting the ongoing abuse of women leaders of civil society in Zimbabwe, including Jenni and MaG, two WOZA women leaders in Zimbabwe. We demand an end to state sponsored violence aimed at silencing women human rights defenders.

Speakers from the One in Nine Campaign and representatives of international women's rights organizations will address marchers at CTICC on Heerengracht from 12h30. A memorandum of demands will be handed over to representatives of the Western Cape legislature - including Western Cape Premier Lynn Brown and MEC for Community Safety Patrick McKenzie - on the steps of the provincial legislature.

16 Days ofAction Against Woman Abuse / Human Rights / HIV Aids Activites

6 Nov 08, HURISA offices, 41 De Korte St, 15th fl, Sable Centre, Braamfontein, 2.30pm - 4pm

Dear all

You're cordially invited to a follow-up working meeting on the 16 days of Activism against Violence on Women & Children, with the aim to finalise our programme on suggested events for the 25 November to 10 December 2008, at the abovementioned venue.

At yesterday's stakeholder meeting (27 Oct 08) held at Sangoco offices, we agreed to report to our respective structures and come forward with strategies on what our objectives are, and how we want to achieve our goals by raising awareness about gender-based violence, HIV/Aids and human rights. It's anticipated that we will finalise all proposed activities at this meeting.

The One-in-Nine Campaign, leading by Carrie Shelver, will be featuring an exhibition at Constitution Hill, during the 16 days showcasing the struggle to end violence against women. It's been proposed we should make use of this unique opportunity to join forces together as partners. Hurisa will lead on Rights issues.

Another item on the agenda will be to finalise how we can integrate other programmes like seminars, workshops, dialogues, videos, relating to human rights/HIV-Aids/gender violence/MDG's issues. Perhaps, space should be made available where members/partners can demonstrate their own programmes.

An interim working committee, representing different sectors, is being set up to look at governance structures, roles and responsibilities. Each organisation's input to funds must be looked at as well.

Minutes of previous meeting and agenda to follow. We're looking forward to your participation.

In solidarity

Thembi Tshabalala

SANGOCO Office Manager, 082 411 2946, admin co-ordinator,

cc

Marius Kotze, SANGOCO intern: 011 403-7746

SANGOCO MEDIA STATEMENT on

STAND UP and TAKE ACTION CAMPAIGN, 17-19 Oct 2008

We, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty coalition of South Africa (GCAP, including South African National NGO Coalition, South African Council of Churches, COSATU, NALEDI, and Methodist Church) have stood and taken Action from the 17th - 19th October 2008 to express our commitment of reminding our Government to put poverty eradication policies as its first point of its agenda. SANGOCO and its partners took once the opportunity to carry out activities in order to show its solidarity with victims of poverty and consequently be the voice of the voiceless in South Africa and particularly in Gauteng province.

On the 17th October 2008, SANGOCO has mobilised its constituencies, local communities and Media as well to a March to the South Africa Presidency in Pretoria. The Coalition stood up, spoke out and took action against Poverty and Inequality. The main objective of this March was to handover a Memorandum to the President of South Africa as People of South Africa demand for the concretisation of the promises made in 2000 to eradicate and end Poverty and "Inequality" by 2015.

However, on the 18th October 2008, SANGOCO hosted a Dialogue against Poverty and Inequality in an informal Settlement of Springs in Johannesburg-South Africa. More than 4, 000 participants stoop up and spoke out on their disappointment to not benefiting from the Government. The population would like to have a better life and enjoy the human rights. This was an opportunity for SANGOCO to mobilise and spread awareness on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

On the 19th October 2008, SANGOCO and the Central Methodist Church organised a Church Service through which we have called thousand of participants to stand and take action to eradicate and end poverty and inequality amongst our people and restore the human being respect and dignity. The message on MDGs was spread and all participants were satisfied and aware on the issue of poverty and inequality and its consequences.

Issued by:

Thembi Tshabalala, Sangoco office manager,

011 403 7746, 082 411 2946