1. St. Thomas Parish 18 August 2013 Lebo Ramafoko, Soul City CEO

2.  South Africa has a rich history of activism by women  The march in 1956 had 20000 women representing 100 000’s of women  Helen Joseph, Lillian Ngoyi, Frances Baard, Fatima Moosa  Post –independence we are hailed in the world as a country with the most women representatives in high positions of power in govt and in parastatals

3.  While politically we may have done well with regards to women emancipation, it has not benefited all women and it has not resulted in a better life for all. ◦ HIV mainly affects women ◦ Women are affected 30 times more by unemployment ◦ The majority of households are headed by women ◦ 44% of children under 17 live with a mother only while 20% of children life with a father only

4. ◦ 25 % of men report to have raped a woman ◦ 50% of women report to have suffered some form of gender based violence ◦ Many women are suffering from high levels of stress. ◦

5.  Economic – using ability to acquire basic needs or poverty line  Social – lacking subsistence freedoms to lead life one has reason to value (Bloom and Canning, 2003; Simonen,2005)  This freedom has two facets: opportunity and security. ◦ Opportunity requires education and a range of political and economic freedoms ◦ Security is the consequence of effective use of those freedoms

6.  Apart from economic measures, poverty is also characterised by vulnerability, deprivation, exclusion and powerlessness  It affects the environment that individuals find themselves in and their ability to navigate that environment

7.  Women make up just over 50% of our population  Majority of children are growing up in poor households more likely with a mother struggling (financially, emotionally and physically) to just keep them alive  Most worrying is that the poor/ most vulnerable are often voiceless and not visible  We have an ignorant middle class who blame the poor for their situation

8.  Poverty in SA is NOT ahistorical ◦ Migrant Labour ◦ Poor education ◦ Poor employment prospects ◦ Poor infrastructure ◦ Mo Ibrahim, at the 11 th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture says that 20 years post democracy South Africa is the most unequal society in the world ◦ He further says while Africa has a young population, leaders are old and male (Mugabe/Obama)

9.  Development and spirituality are intertwined  We are more than flesh and our needs are more than material.  The challenge is how do we play a crucial and transformative role in our communities?  Is the church part of the problem or part of the solution? ◦ Christianity/The Church is not apolitical in SA ◦ The church has not always emulated its own teachings

10.  The gospel of Jesus Christ was transformative and disruptive ◦ Christ questioned the status quo ◦ His teachings were most powerful when they questioned the absurdity of the status quo. ◦ Christ’s teachings always addressed the three (3) levels at which the church can play a transformative role  Met individual needs (fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead)  Christ created a community (the church) and trained transformative and activist leaders (disciples)  Christ never left the keepers of the law off the hook

11.  Parenting – how do we create space where children can be parented in our church and the difference that it can have on their lives  The church as a teaching institution  The church as voice for the voiceless  The church as our moral conscience.