Lessons from South Africa

The story of Atlantic’s $422 million investments in South Africa to improve and transform health and higher education.

Four case studies that show how investments in advocacy can help advance positive and meaningful change.

This report describes the impact of Atlantic’s $178 million investment to improve population health in South Africa from 2004 to 2016. In the early 2000s, South Africa was gripped by quadruple epidemics: (1) escalating HIV and AIDS infections and deaths; (2) maternal and child disease;…

This report describes how with support from The Atlantic Philanthropies, the School of Public Health at the University of Western Cape (UWC) became a leading training institution for practitioners who today are advancing health equity in South Africa. Prior to the formal establishment of the…

Nursing in South Africa has long been neglected, in part because of the turmoil brought about by apartheid. This lack of attention has had dire implications for the vast majority of South Africans who rely on the public health system for health care. From 2006-2012,…

In 2007, The Atlantic Philanthropies approached two legal practitioners, Gilbert Marcus SC and Steven Budlender, to conduct an evaluation of public interest litigation in South Africa, following The Atlantic Philanthropies’ substantial investment in the field. The resulting report – A strategic evaluation of public interest litigation…

The Other Foundation, an organisation working to advance the rights and well‐being of LGBTI people in Southern Africa, wanted their first grantmaking initiative to be a truly transparent and participatory process. They came up with an innovative solution. Rather than consider grant proposals entirely on…

The National Alliance for the Development of Community Advice Offices (NADCAO) is a fairly new joint initiative between non-governmental organisations and donors in South Africa. NADCAO aims to strengthen the country’s crises-ridden community advice office sector and increase access to justice for poor and marginalised…

When a major funder exits a field, its absence can sometimes prove extremely challenging to the civil society organisations it has supported. As a limited life foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies are supporting projects to contribute to a growing body of knowledge that positions nonprofit organisations…

During the political negotiations for a democratic South Africa and in the formative years following the first free and fair elections in 1994, a crucial group of people were largely overlooked—the estimated 80,000 ex-combatants who had fought to end the country’s apartheid system. This report…

This Atlantic-commissioned case study provides a snapshot of what life is like for young lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered and intersex people (LGBTIs) in South Africa today – 17 years after the Constitution outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation. It explores if democracy has brought greater tolerance and celebration…

This report covers the exchange, key learnings and recommendations of leaders and activists from Irish and South African organisations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTIs) at a retreat, sponsored by Atlantic, near Cape Town in March 2010. Introduction In March 2010, The…

This case study documents the best-practice advocacy model of the Black Sash, one of the oldest human rights organisations in South Africa that a brave group of white women started in 1955 to fight the injustices of apartheid. Today, Black Sash plays a key role…

This publication is an attempt to distil the learnings from three important books that were published during 2009 and which provide valuable insights into doing advocacy in an emerging constitutional democracy in South Africa. Written by Marian Nell & Janet Shapiro for The Atlantic Philanthropies…

This publication focuses on using communications to advance human rights for South Africa’s rural poor. We believe it will be useful for advocates, nonprofit organisations and funders in many countries interested in effectively elevating important human rights issues on the policy agendas of democratic societies.…