The Thari Programme aims to achieve its primary objectives through the following:

– Ensuring that basic psycho-social support services are provided to women and children;

– Empowering women and children by educating them on how to protect themselves against abuse and exploitation;

– Facilitating dialogues to empower men and boys to address social issues which include masculinity, violence, and gender sensitivity;

– Developing a system that monitors the impact of the programme;

– Developing effective, sustainable and replicable models for preventing violence against women and children;

– Responding to current issues affecting the well-being of women and children

There is an increasing concern within South Africa that schools are the sites of widespread violence. While the school environment is supposed to foster learning in a safe and protected environment, it appears that this is not true in many schools within the South African context.

Following extensive research around the prevalence of sexual abuse and the disempowerment of community members, victims, parents and even educators in many cases, the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation concluded that to effectively address violence in schools, support needs to be extended beyond the school itself, to include family members and the greater community.

The Thari Programme’s selected townships are poverty-stricken, plagued by a high rate of unemployment, crime, violence and skills shortages. All of this greatly increases the vulnerabilities of women and children.