AFRA confronts gender issues: The process of creating a gender strategy

The Association for Rural Advancement (AFRA), a nongovernmental organization in South Africa affiliated with the National Land Committee (NLC), seeks to redress the legacy of unjust land dispensation during the apartheid period. AFRA is the first organization within NLC to deal openly with issues of race and gender; this process has been conflictual, however. At gender training workshops conducted by White development workers, many staff expressed the view that sexism is an alien Western issue. Moreover, gender sensitivity was interpreted by Black staff as an assault on their race and cultural identity. The staff itself was polarized on racial grounds, with White managers and Black field workers. Staff further expressed concerns that a gender perspective would dilute AFRA's focus on land reform and alienate rural women who want male household heads to continue to hold the title to their land. The organizational structure was reorganized, though, to become more democratic and racially representative. The 1995 appointment of the first field worker assigned to address women's empowerment in both the organization and target communities refueled the controversy, and a gender workshop led by a psychologist was held to build trust and unity. Staff moved toward a shared understanding of gender as an aspect of social differentiation. AFRA has since committed itself to develop an integrated gender strategy sensitive to people's needs and fears.