Giving Voice to the Voiceless

Recent Blog Posts

Why print in the age of the internet?

Printing is on the decline the world over as a direct result of the easy accessibility of information on the Internet. Those who can afford it and know how to navigate their way around the World Wide Web have unfettered access to this vast and liberating storehouse of knowledge and information – giving them a distinct advantage in exploring opportunities, developing their potential and solving problems.

From the Eastern Cape to Cape Town: A Heart-Warming True Story About Two Donkeys

At South African Conversations, we often hear incredible stories about how our Resource Directory impacts lives. This is one of those heartwarming moments we just had to share.

One Sunday evening, I received a call on our 0800 number from a woman named Buhle in …

Crisis Pregnancy

What are the options?

1. Give birth and raise the child.
2. Give birth and permanently give your child to another person or family.
3. Take medication or have a medical procedure that ends the pregnancy within 12 weeks of conception.

Dumping or abandoning a baby is not an option. It is a crime. And it could lead to a charge of attempted murder or, if the baby dies, a charge of murder.

Grandmothers

Holding families together all over South Africa

Grandmothers in historically disadvantaged South Africa have always played a big role in the upbringing of their grandchildren. This tradition is not a cultural one, but one fashioned by the demands of apartheid.

Let’s Talk About the Foreigners in Our Country

Many South Africans have little tolerance for foreigners – especially foreigners from further north in Africa. We don’t care whether they are here as refugees, as migrant workers or as legal immigrants. We assume that they’ve come to take our jobs, our houses, our lovers. We forget about the millions of people who cross borders the world over, every day, to visit, study, marry, work, stay, start businesses or get medical treatment – including South Africans of all hues. And we forget that thousands upon thousands of our people were harboured by neighbouring countries during the apartheid years.

LGBTQI+ Questions & Answers

Are homosexual or non-binary gender identities a fad or a trend?

No. Many ancient cultures acknowledged more than two gender identities and sometimes as many as eight. Descriptions of androgynous or trans priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna date as far back as 3000 B.C. In the Philippines, the Bakla, who transcend the duality between men and women, have been historically renowned as community leaders. Native Americans have long recognised two-spirit people, who identify as having both feminine and masculine spirits. The first documented gay marriage took place on 16 April 1061, between two men at the Monastery of San Salvador de Celanova in Spain.

How to Start a FOOD Garden

More people are now living in cities than in rural areas for the first time in history. Over the next 30 years, virtually all of the anticipated 3 billion increase in human population will occur in cities of the South. By 2030 these cities will absorb 95% of global urban growth, becoming home to 80% of the world’s urban population. Accompanying this urban transition is a growing crisis of food insecurity in cities and city regions. Even in countries experiencing economic growth, food insecurity is already a major challenge.