Introductory Letter

Introductory Letter from Caroline Dusée, Founder of Victory for Equality

Dear friends and supporters of Victory for Equality,

My name is Caroline Dusée, and I am the founder of the Victory for Equality Foundation.

I started this foundation years ago, in memory of my brother Victor, who passed away in a car accident when he was only twenty years old.

Our mission is simple but powerful: we stand up for people and communities who are being oppressed, working towards a more equal, balanced, and fair world.

Over the past twenty years, we've been involved in projects across Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, in Ecuador, Peru, Tanzania, and South Africa.

These are the two continents where I have lived and worked as a cultural anthropologist, conducting long-term, in-depth research. As a result, all our projects have grown organically: the ideas come from within the communities themselves and are developed in close collaboration with them. Each project is grounded in solid research and local knowledge.

We have built schools for Indigenous children in Peru, supported initiatives against domestic violence in Ecuador, and created educational programs in Tanzania that bring boys and girls together to speak about sexual violence.

What matters most to us is that every idea starts within the community. In addition to providing immediate support, we ensure that all our projects focus on long-term change and building self-reliance.

For the past ten years, we have been active in South Africa, where I have lived and worked for an extended period (and still do), conducting research on men, (sexual) violence, and how men and women can come together in greater mutual understanding, especially in the context of gender-based violence.

Most of this work has taken place in the townships of Cape Town and Johannesburg, as well as the rural areas around the town of Genadendal.

After years of working closely with local people, new projects have started to grow from the ground up.

We are proud to now share these projects with you. Because at Victory for Equality, we believe in:

Gender Reconciliation Programs

Violence between men and women — physical, sexual, emotional — is devastatingly high across the world. But in South Africa, the situation is even more extreme: one woman is murdered every three hours. Violence between men is also highly visible, yet rarely met with empathy.

The Gender Reconciliation programs, run by GenderWorks in South Africa and now in partnership with Victory for Equality, bring men and women (and people of all genders) together to speak the unspeakable — and to truly listen.

Inspired by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission after apartheid, the approach focuses on:

• Acknowledging pain on both sides
• Silent listening to each other's stories
• Truth-telling

These programs aim to address the deep-rooted forms of violence embedded in our society.

There are no lectures or quick fixes. Instead, participants enter a brave process of storytelling, reflection, and mutual witnessing. The goal? To uncover the hidden pain we carry around gender and begin to transform it — bringing what they've learned back into their families, communities, and even government structures.

Across South Africa, these programs have reached government officials, community leaders, educators, and everyday citizens.

Participants leave with more than just awareness. They leave with practical tools:

• Better communication
• More empathy
• A renewed sense of responsibility in their families, workplaces, and communities

Empowering women is important. And we must continue to do so. But if we only address one side of the problem and ignore the deeper roots, we risk deepening the divide between men and women.

Real change happens when men and women come together, face what has gone wrong, and begin the healing process — not just for ourselves, but for future generations.

Victory for Equality aims to bring these programs into the townships of South Africa's Western Cape — areas often forgotten and overlooked, where violence is highest and support is lowest.

These programs are needed all over the world. But we are starting in South Africa, where the need is greatest and where our teams are ready.

The Genadendal Project

During my research, I spent many years in Genadendal, a small community in the Theewaterskloof area of South Africa's Overberg region.

Genadendal and surrounding villages are struggling with poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, and a lack of opportunities — especially for children and young people.

Together with the community and local transformation board, we are implementing the 'For the People, By the People' project.

Phase 1:

We are creating safe spaces where children can go after school — where they receive food and healthy nutrition, both of which are often lacking at home.

In addition:

We are contributing to the setup of a small circular economy, where local people (many of whom are unemployed) can begin selling their own products — from fruits and vegetables (guided by our local entrepreneur Marshall Rinquest) to handmade soap and other crafts.

Victory for Equality will contribute by:

• Providing for basic needs:
  • Safe shelters for children (who often come home alone or to unsafe environments)
  • Healthy food and nutrition
• Providing structure and training to set up local businesses:
  • Marketing toward tourists (many visit nearby areas but don't yet know about Genadendal)
  • Guidance in growing fruits and vegetables and preparing them for sale
  • Working together with the local government on land allocation and integration into official government programs (already in progress)

Long-term vision:

Our goal is to make this a self-sustaining project. Eventually, participants will give a small portion of their earnings (in exchange for using the marketplace and shelters) back into the local safety and education projects for children.

What Does It Cost?

We are currently fundraising for both of these projects:

How Can You Help?

We would love — and truly need — your help and support to make this possible. You can help us by:

• Donating via our website or directly to our bank account
• Linking a fundraiser for Victory for Equality to an event at your company, school, club, or association
• Inviting Victory for Equality to speak at your organization — I would be honored to share our work and open up new opportunities, networks, and collaborations

We — and all the community members we work with — would be so deeply grateful for your support!

With a warm embrace,

On behalf of our team and the communities we proudly stand by,

Caroline Dusée