“SASA provides very important services to the community and is rooted within the community itself.“
The Somali Association of South Africa (SASA) was founded in 1996 as the first refugee-led community organization in South Africa.
Today, SASA provides Advocacy and Development projects (Adult Education, Youth, and Women Projects) to around 122,300 beneficiaries across the country.
SASA runs two offices (Cape Town and Pretoria) and has representatives in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), Durban, North West and Northern Cape. SASA was started to improve integration between South Africans and people who are migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers. It also aims to liaise with the South African government and civil society organizations to help the Somali community.
SASA is a founding member, and currently sits as chair, of the South African Refugee Led Network.
SASA services fall into two programs: Advocacy and Development. Each program manages several projects. Since 2018 the projects have recorded 18,450 beneficiaries assisted.
Their advocacy programs run from the SASA offices in Cape Town and Pretoria, where clients are consulted on a one-on-one basis. SASA also engages in different forms of higher-level advocacy efforts. This program aims to support on average 1900 beneficiaries per year to find their own voice and improve conditions of living in South Africa. SASA supports beneficiaries through workshops, community events, engagement with government officials, individual consultations, and the process of translation and interpretation. SASA facilitates the community to work towards solving problems by providing information on accessing documentation, healthcare, education, and legal services in South Africa.
Their Paralegal Advice and Referral Project includes accompaniment to hospitals, clinics, the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African Social Service Agency (SASSA), and provincial Departments of Education. Facilitating referrals to other NGOs such as the Scalabrini Centre in Cape Town and Lawyers for Human Rights, MSF, Future Families, and Jesuit Refugee Services in Pretoria.
They also provide assistance with interpretation and translation and assistance with online applications such as school enrolment or online documentation services.
SASA’s workshop project includes facilitating civic education and participation, using social media, raising awareness at the masjid and conducting individual consultations, broadcasting local government opportunities, meetings, and events to beneficiaries, and sharing information on responsibilities, rights, and navigating government processes and platforms.
The Development Program at SASA aims to upskill the refugee and migrant community, encouraging self-reliance and better integration into South African economic and social life. SASA considers education as the key to change. They provide English classes, computer courses for adults, skills development projects and self-reliance workshops for women.
Find out more about SASA on their website: https://somaliassociation.org.za/
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