On the 14th of April 2025, the INERELA+ Secretariat in Johannesburg welcomed Yvette Edichi Ntamon from the “Alliance des Leaders Religieux pour la Sante Integrale et la Promotion de la Personne Humaine” (ARSIP) in Ivory Coast who was on a three-day peer learning exchange visit necessitated and funded through Faith to Action Network. Faith to Action Network supports Faith Actors for Justice program in East, South, and West Africa through a programme that aligns with SDG 5 (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and SDG 16 (promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels INERELA+ was chosen to host this three-day exchange visit which aimed at fostering mutual learning to advance gender justice. The same program has initiated activities to enhance technical capacity, distribute awards annually, and facilitate networking and experience-sharing for Faith Actors.
INERELA+ through its Executive Director, Munya Mandipaza participated as a panel speaker at the Faith Actors for Justice Regional Communities of Practice Workshop – Eastern Africa Hub, which took place from 12th to 14th November 2024 in Mombasa, Kenya. It is at the same workshop that Munya Mandipaza was presented with the Faith Actors Award for Excellence in recognition of her excellent Leadership in promoting Gender Justice in Faith communities. INERELA+, presented by Munya Mandipaza through an application for the Faith Actors for Justice Excellence Awards was selected by the awards committee based on outstanding contributions to promoting gender justice and ending harmful practices through faith-based initiatives
Key to the introduction was the governance issues where Yvette Edichi Ntamon was made to understand that INERELA+ Country Networks were made up of their own Board at the country level which plays a critical oversight role on the running of the Country Network, then the Country Network Coordinator was responsible for running the day-to-day activities of the Country Network. Project implementation at the Country level is done by Religious Leaders and Faith Actors.
On the second day, Yvette Edichi Ntamon, INERELA+, and the SANERELA+ team visited survivors/victims and trained champions in Northwest province, Brits one of the (UN Women SCREVAW Project) sites. Yvette Edichi Ntamon learnt how INERELA+ through their SANERELA+ Country Network roll out their interventions which are in all cases through trained Religious leaders and Change agents. One of the survivors confessed that she will forever be grateful for the timely counseling she received from INERELA+-trained Religious leader and Change agent Rev. Thembi Mbele. To this day she believes if it wasn’t for the intervention, she could be dead by now from her gun-trotting brother and abusive partner who was infected with HIV. SANERELA+ managed to counsel her, seek legal intervention (police report) on her behalf, and put her on treatment referral for ARVs.
On the third day, the team headed to Hoer Skool Florida High School to meet SANERELA+ youth champion and change agent Carley Avenant. Yvette Edichi Ntamon interacted with Carley who shared that she had impacted over 200 youths at her school and church with knowledge acquired from the Life Skills, Relationships, and Climate Change training workshops. The team later proceeded to Soweto where Yvette Edichi Ntamon had the chance to record some of the testimonies from GBV survivors/victims on how INERELA+ intervened in their situation and now the majority of them are employed, back to school, back with their partners, separated from their partners, on ARV treatment, under social worker, under a church, or being assisted by the Department of Social Development.