On June 2nd, 2010, USAID hosted Jimmie Briggs, a journalist, author, and activist, on a visit to a Thuthuzela Care Center (TCC) in Tembisa, South Africa. He was in the country to promote his Man Up campaign. The campaign’s main focus is to create a following amongst youths globally to join efforts to prevent violence against women. USAID has been working with advocate Thoko Majokweni, the head of the Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit of South Africa’s National Prosecution Authority, to help launch multiple TCCs across South Africa.

The TCC project is part of Women’s Justice Empowerment Initiative (WJEI), a Presidential Initiative launched in 2007 to combat sexual and gender-based violence in South Africa, Benin, Kenya, and Zambia. WJEI supports the TCCs by providing funding for services to assist women and children survivors of sexual assault. The TCC in Tembisa services almost 100 patients a month, helping them with both the legal aspects of sexual assault, as well medical and psychosocial support.

Mr. Briggs was impressed with the efficiency of the TCCs as a holistic approach to survivors of gender based violence. He is organizing various youths from around the world meet in a summit in Johannesburg during the FIFA World Cup to discuss the issues relating to violence against women. For more information about the TCCs and the Man Up campaign, please go to the following websites: USAID/Southern Africa's Democracy and Governance site and http://www.manupcampaign.org/.