It is a great pleasure to look back at the work we have done in the last 6 – 7 months since our last MC meeting in May 2007. When I had to start working on this report, I thought “I am not sure actually what to write down, since we didn’t do much” Well, well – now I will disagree with myself.

What will reflect in the financial report is a few challenges we had since October with regards to setting up out EFT and once that was done the actual working of it.

Although we are able to employ the outreach officer also right from the beginning of our budget time, I will only look to fill that post from 2008.

What a busy start of a new year! We actually were quite active and busy right until the 22nd of Dec when the office closed. There were a handful of challenges and a good measure of exciting new things on the horizon, taking that this was the period when we also employed two more staff members.

Activities

Right after our previous board meeting, Mzi and I attended The LGBTI people’s forum on the ANC congress, organised by Equality Project in Johannesburg. The purpose of the forum was:

• Reflect on the discussion documents prepared for the ANC’s 52nd Congress in December; 
• Identify where and how the 5 year plans of the ruling party address the plight of the diverse LGBTI community in the country;
• Propose concrete actions for the ANC to take in this regard; and 
• Place our demands to the ANC as the government of our country.

As result of the meeting the organisations present, (and a larger number of JWG organisations) signed the Open Manifesto to the ANC’s 52nd National Conference from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Intersex people: We demand leadership and commitment to full Equality for all.

From the 6th to the 10th of December I attended the ARC International dialogue in Johannesburg. The program included topics and dialogue discussions such as:

• participation in the African Commission, domestic litigation in key countries, equipping activists with communication tools, and taking forward current programming with the region.
• international strategies regarding UN Human Rights Council and other UN bodies
• shadow reporting for regional and international human rights mechanisms
• engaging NGOs around the Yogyakarta Principles
• building effective coalitions and alliances; and strengthening organisational capacity

It is intended to promote dialogue between activists from around the globe and allies with the LGBT movement.

During the remaining part of December I concentrated on completion of the Shelter research project.
In January we were advertising, interviewing and finally selecting the outreach officers.
T-junction also restarted and the January get together was mainly to establish from the members what activities they are most interested in.

February was an extremely full month. It kicked off with the Western Cape’s launch of the 777 Campaign, and Gender DynamiX is part of the planning committee.

Gender DynamiX was also invited to the University of Western Cape (UWC) orientation day at the Gender Equity department as a resource person for possible research topics.

Early in February a legal case was reported to Gender DynamiX and we were really challenged in many ways to seek legal representation for this trans woman. Sally and a Johannesburg based transwoman, who is a journalist, supported the family in court during bail hearings. We are also in debt to David Bilchitz from Jewish Outlook who really went at great lengths with many of his legal contacts to facilitate us with an attorney who is very gender/ transgender sensitive. The case is not completed, but in very good hands. The legal team will also advice us with a motivational draft as supporting document to raise funds for the legal costs.

Finally but not the least for February: Tebogo and I attended CAL in Mozambique from 25 to 29 February. It was a very intense week, filled with information overload, training and networking. We managed to meet with more transgenders from the continent. I think in CAL’s history, this was the leadership institute with the record holding self identified trans people. Great trans alliances, friendships and contacts was build and more specifically with the aim on future joint projects and work. IGLHRC committed to fund a transgender institute later this year. Their budget will currently allow for 25 participants.

On our way to Mozambique we had a meeting with GALA and Tebogo, Sally and I attended FEW’s AGM.

Partnerships

We are still in good, stable partnership with the organisations from the JWG, the SBC partnership and are busy strengthening our collaboration with the UWC. We are also exploring opportunities with Remior, a community based NGO in Guguletu.

Funding

While our first progress report to Atlantic Philanthropies is due end of March, I also focussed a lot of time in this quarter on grant writing and submitting proposals. We were approved again with Astraea Lesbian Foundation with a grant of $5,000 which is roughly currently around R39,000 – quite a “step up from their previous R21,000. (They are only giving small grant like this, but are reasonably flexible for what we are using it on.

During December we submitted a grant proposal to the Department of Social Development, which seems to be “well received”. We had a site visit from them, during the time I was in Mozambique – I prepared Caroline well in advance, Synnove briefed her and Robert B joined the meeting. (According to many sources, if a NGO receives a site visit chances are 90%. We submitted with them in our district area, as per their guidelines – a budget amount of R220,000.

End of January GDX worked jointly with GALA on a grant proposal (submitted on behalf of GALA) for our joint book publication project.

From mid February to mid March we have a Canadian student who is volunteering her time to GDX. She mainly focus on grants and foundations. We should be able to submit by month end at least 2 more proposals. I am also in the process to try and set up meetings with New York based foundations for the time of my visit there.

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