On April the 19th and 20th the ACTION Support Centre had the honor of hosting the South African Somali Women’s Network (SASOWNET) National Launch. The launch follows a series of workshops that were held in different parts of South Africa to empower Somali women. On the 19th and 20th these women from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth came together and initiated a dialogue which would promote a process through which the Network could be recognised nationally. The national launch event aimed to identify the needs and priorities of the provincial components of the Network, namely, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg, and also provide an opportunity for Somali women to build relationships, establish linkages, share experiences, learn from each other and develop a common transformative agenda in an attempt to harness a culture of people-to-people solidarity, and to find solutions to the common challenges that they face across the country.

By the end of the launch the Somali women had drafted their own constitution that enshrines the mission, values, objectives and commitments of the Network, to mark and legitimise its work. Furthermore, the launch provided a platform in which SASOWNET members collectively nominated and elected the national leadership of the Network that will coordinate the initiatives of SASOWNET throughout South Africa and the region. Finally, the launch also presented the women with the opportunity to draw up a programme of action for the next three years. The ACTION Support Centre looks forward to playing a supporting role in the initiatives and programmes of SASOWNET and seeing the Network flourish and grow beyond measure.