Whole World Women Association

The WWWA was created as a self-help and support group — women helping women — and that peer-centred, community-rooted identity remains central to what it is. It is not an organisation that provides services to refugee women from the outside. It is an organisation built by refugee women, for refugee women, in partnership with South African women who share a commitment to equity, safety, and belonging.

Support for Abused Women

The WWWA is explicit about a reality that mainstream GBV services often miss: "There is a large number of refugee, migrant, and asylum-seeking women that have experienced extensive trauma and who are victims of abuse. Many of these women are not comfortable going to the police to report abusive situations and instead turn to WWWA for support."

This is not a peripheral observation — it is the fundamental reason for the programme's existence. Refugee women's reluctance to engage South African police is rational: it reflects documented experiences of xenophobia, risk of detention, language barriers, and the absence of cultural familiarity or community trust. The WWWA provides a trusted alternative: employees trained in family support and counselling who provide a safe space for women to seek counselling, advice, and mediation.

The WWWA works case by case — meeting women where they are, providing direct support where possible, and referring to partner organisations where more specialised help is needed. The organisation also participates in the Stop Violence Against Women campaign in the Western Cape, contributing to the broader public awareness and norm-challenge work that creates safer environments for all women.

Skills Development

Economic dependency is one of the most powerful forces keeping abused women trapped. Without income of their own, without skills that translate into employability, women in abusive situations frequently conclude that staying is survival. The WWWA's Skills Development programme directly confronts this.

Refugee, asylum-seeking, and migrant women who are unemployed take a series of courses teaching them to sew their own garments and to start and manage their own businesses. The dual focus — technical skills and business literacy — produces women who are not just able to sew but able to build enterprises. The ultimate goal is self-reliance: women who can generate independent income and therefore have genuine choices.

Social Cohesion: Building Bridges

One of the most significant risk factors for refugee women in South Africa is xenophobia — the hostility directed at foreign nationals that ranges from everyday discrimination to organised violence. The WWWA's Building Bridges social integration project responds directly to this risk by building relationships.

The project brings local South African women and refugee/migrant women together through social events and women's dialogues — not as separate communities engaging across a divide, but as women talking about their commonalities and differences, learning each other's histories and origins and struggles. Friendships have been built through this programme; families have formed connections; children of South African and migrant women have stayed in each other's homes. An exchange of skills and knowledge flows in both directions. The programme's theory is simple and profound: women who know each other do not harm each other, and communities built on genuine relationship are safer for everyone in them.

Advocacy for Women's Rights

WWWA holds regular workshops and support groups where women can safely and openly discuss human rights, abuse, and the challenges they face — and get the opportunity to share solutions, ideas, and support with each other. The organisation educates women on their rights under South African law and in terms of international human rights frameworks, and ensures they know what resources are available to them. WWWA participates in the Stop Violence Against Women campaign as part of its broader advocacy presence in the Western Cape GBV response landscape.

Women's Health

For many refugees from other African countries, access to accurate, current, culturally appropriate health information has been limited by geography, language, and the disruptions of displacement. The WWWA's Women's Health programme — built around HIV/AIDS awareness — directly addresses this gap.

The programme's specific strength is its peer education model: peer educators speak multiple African languages, enabling them to reach refugee and migrant communities who would otherwise miss crucial information delivered only in English or Afrikaans. The programme includes mobile wellness clinics, peer education training, referrals for HIV testing and treatment, HIV/AIDS support groups for affected and infected women, and awareness work covering cross-cutting issues including GBV, child prostitution, child labour, human trafficking, and school dropout. This integration — connecting HIV/AIDS awareness with GBV awareness, reproductive health, and economic vulnerability — reflects a sophisticated understanding of how these issues compound each other in the lives of refugee women.

Relevance to GBV Survivors

For refugee, asylum-seeking, or migrant women in Cape Town who have experienced GBV — and particularly for those who cannot or will not approach South African police — the WWWA is one of the very few organisations with the cultural competency, language capacity, and community trust to provide meaningful support. For social workers and GBV organisations working with foreign nationals in Cape Town, WWWA at 41 Salt River Road is an essential community partner and referral destination.

Whole World Women Association: 41 Salt River Road, Salt River, Cape Town, Western Cape. Phone: +27 21 448 5022. Email: wwwomen@mweb.co.za. NPO 053-030. Website: wwwassociation.org.