South Africa Ubuntu Project kicks of Wall of Supporters to promote gender equality
Facebook fan page: South Africa Project- Time for Ubuntu
March 3, 2010 — South Africa Project (www.southafricaproject.org), the 2010 FIFA World Cup-centric initiative of Ubuntu Now (ubuntunow.org), has launched a “Wall of Supporters” on its website. As the international spotlight on South Africa continues to increase while the biggest single sports event on earth grows closer, the South Africa Project hopes to use the heightened visibility to raise global awareness of the nation’s deep-seated gender equality issues.
“The Wall is an easy way for anyone to become part of an extended part of a group of people that want to make a difference,” said Klaus Holzapfel, founder and president of Ubuntu Now. “We think that in addition to enjoying the World Cup, fans and non-fans alike should use this time of celebration to make a contribution and show their support for the people of South Africa.”
Prominently displayed on the South Africa Project’s website, the new “Wall of Supporters” is a collective graphic page on which contributors are offered a place on the wall in exchange for a minimum donation of $10. Besides allowing donors a way to publicly display their belief in the cause, each avatar provides a portal to the individual’s online presence. Via use of rollovers, viewers are able to access the supporter’s customizable Ubuntu Now profile, personal website and Facebook and Twitter, along with other social media links.
Every $10 Wall donation to the South Africa Project is utilized. For example, $70 provides a community with a rape prevention education and promotion kit, $400 can put a community mobilizer to work, and $1,000 sponsors a comprehensive community workshop on the subject. More information can be found at One Man Can (genderjustice.org.za/onemancan), a partner of the South Africa Project.
“It would be a travesty to gloss over the country’s issues at this crucial time,” said Holzapfel. “We can’t forget that 25 percent of South African men admit to sexual assault by force and that, according the BBC, a South African woman has a higher chance of being raped than she does of learning how to read and write.”
South Africa has arguably the highest incidence of rape on the globe, with over 50,000 reported cases and expert estimates of the total number of cases around 500,000. In addition, the country has one of the world’s highest rates of HIV infection, with 12.7 percent of South Africans infected, compared with 0.4 percent in the United States. And 1.4 million South African children have been orphaned as a result of the virus’ devastation.
South Africa Project was created by Colorado non-profit organization Ubuntu Now, which is dedicated to preventing rape and domestic violence through the promotion of gender equality among boys and young men. Additionally, the organization offers psychological support to victims of rape and domestic violence, including those who have contracted HIV/AIDS as a result of these crimes.
(source: Ubuntu Now)
