Issue
Climate change is placing an ever-greater strain on the South African healthcare system. Despite efforts to strengthen the national response to the impacts of climate change, women’s health is adversely affected, with marginalised rural women facing disproportionate challenges.
How we are helping
This project aims to increase the inclusion of rural women’s voices in health reform discussions. It seeks to promote constructive engagement between government and civil society to influence gender-responsive and climate-resilient healthcare budgeting and governance.
About the project
Marginalised women in South Africa are disproportionately affected by the burden that climate change is having on the health system. The Eastern Cape, one of the country’s poorest regions, suffers from inadequate healthcare infrastructure and systemic inequalities.
Climate-related disasters, like flooding, have exacerbated these challenges, leaving women vulnerable to disrupted services. While the National Health Act and Climate Change Act seek to strengthen healthcare systems, their implementation plans and associated budgets respond to women’s needs.
Project partners, SECTION27 will address the intersecting impacts of gender and climate by advocating for policies that prioritise women’s health and resilience. The project will utilise evidence-based advocacy, community training, and policy engagement to ensure gender-responsive and climate-resilient health reforms.
This will be achieved by:
- Analysing health sector climate adaptation plans and budgets to identify gender gaps and producing a report of recommendations.
- Hosting two Budget Justice Coalition meetings to develop strategies to advocate for gender-responsive health budgeting, including climate change adaptation.
- Convening two dialogues between civil society coalitions and government departments to discuss gender and climate priorities in health budgets.
- Facilitating engagements with members of the Climate Justice Coalition and government on health sector adaptation plans.
- Training 40 members of Clinic Committees in rural Eastern Cape on health budget analysis and gender-responsive budgeting.
- Documenting and publishing the stories of six women from the Eastern Cape who experienced direct health impacts of climate change.
As a result of the project, it is hoped that the inclusion of women’s voices in health system reform discussions will lead to more gender-responsive and climate-resilient health policies and budgets. Enhanced public awareness of the critical links between women’s health, climate justice, and healthcare reform will be a catalyst for systemic change.
Project Partners
SECTION27 is a public interest law centre that seeks to achieve substantive equality and social justice in South Africa. SECTION27 uses the law through litigation, advocacy, legal literacy, research and community mobilisation to advance socio-economic rights, in particular the right to access health care services and the right to basic education. SECTION27 aims to achieve systemic change and accountability to contribute to a society that is stable, democratic, and based on constitutional principles.
We support people's participation in democracy and development by providing grants, platforms, and expertise.
