This is the 15th day of sixteen days of activism. The final day is tomorrow, 10th of December. How nice it would be if we could be ending not the sixteen days of activism but violence against women and children. This is a wish that I have and it can come thru' it just take responsible and real men to make it a reality. If it does not come through, it goes without saying that we should intensify the campaign.

Brief background on the 16 Days of Activism

This is a campaign that we started on November 25. It is neither a provincial campaign nor a national campaign. This is an international campaign. It has come a long way. 25 November was chosen to commemorate the death of the Mirabal sisters in 1960 in the hands of dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Domican Republic. The first Feminist Encuentro for Latin America and the Caribean which was held in Bogota declared November 25 International Day for No Violence Against Women back in 1981. United Nations recognised the day which we start our sixteen days of activism, as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in 1999.

In South Africa the campaign has brought together civil society organisations, government and business to raise awareness by organising events and to raise funds to support victim support programmes. The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign is an annual, UN-endorsed, awareness-raising campaign that begins on 25 November each year and runs until 10 December.

The campaign is one element of government's year-long, integrated and cross-sectoral drive to eliminate the abuse of women and children.

The campaign hopes to contribute to government's primary developmental objective of restoring to individuals their human dignity within the context of safer and more secure families and communities.

Here is an advice to all parents and responsible individuals

Treat women and children with respect. Make sure that children are properly supervised. Don't leave small children unattended. Always check where and with whom children go. Encourage older children to be critical and have a keep safe plan; i.e. don't walk or play in deserted places; always be in groups of two or more. Remove children from shebeens and bars. Ask the owners and managers not to sell alcohol to teens. It is illegal. Watch out for the kids in your neighbourhood. Monitor shebeens, 'tik houses and 'die jaart' where teens hang out. Discourage inappropriate behaviour, friendships actions of men and teens. Create a safe house for children and teens in your street, a place where they can go to when they need help. Have an emergency plan in place! Report any crime or act of abuse!

Job of the Day

This is a project that has taken a bit of time. It is quite satisfying to see that we have managed to remove all the obstacles on its way. I looking with keen interest at a day where we will be adding 40 beneficiaries to u Mam' uGxowa but again my satisfaction will be when all the beneficiaries are finally living in their houses.

Having said all that let me thank all those who have dirtied their hands in the building of this house of Mrs Mzikazi Gxowa. This is work well done. I know it was not easy but it had to be done and be completed within these 16 Days of Activism. Thank you for finding your creative and innovative caps and put them on.

You came up with the sustainable home which will have water savings, and electricity savings. Instead of building a house, you then built a home. You came up with a little farm. This is a home that has many of the exciting ingredients, that demonstrate creativity.

Starting from the usage of natural resources. Hear you have used stones, that you did not go to any hardware to buy. There are cases when you just looked around and seen materials that might be viewed as no use to the construction of this house and made use of. Some stones you got out of foundation trenches you made use of in building the same foundation. This was also a labour intensive process, which is very encouraging. I also notice that the door of the house is facing the sun, and that is how it supposes to be. What I've heard is that unlike other houses, including the one I am staying in, this one will be warm when it is cold and cool when it is hot. So, maybe there should be an exchange here Mam'u Gxowa. The space that is utilised to create a storey home, adds to innovation.

It is my honour to hand over this home for the future and little farm to you and I hope that when I come back here, you will offer me peaches from the trees in your little farm. I wish you a comfortable stay.