Dockda
Hiv in Kimberley

DOCKDA Rural Development Agency, working in partnership with rural communities in the Northern Cape.

Our vision is a world in which rural women and men are equal and active citizens. The Northern Cape is sparsely populated with vast distances separating towns and villages. These forgotten about communities cope with challenges resulting from high rates of unemployment (over 50%), HIV and AIDS (27.5%) and crime. For more than 20 years DOCKDA Rural Development Agency has acted under the belief that the key to making sustainable change in rural communities is the women and men who live in those communities. Our small staff work together to secure partnerships with relevant organisations and institutions that have a shared vision for rural women and men. The DOCKDA Board is committed to the effective governance of the organisation and the promotion of DOCKDA's vision of a world in which rural women and men are equal and active citizens. A world in which rural women and men are equal and active citizens. Build transformational women's leadership & networks of community organisations to change the lives of women and men in rural areas. Our mission is to build transformational women’s leadership & networks of community organisations to change the lives of women and men in rural areas. Faith Brown graduated from the University of the Western Cape in 1992 with a BA degree in Human Ecology. She is currently working towards a Master's degree in Development Studies. She worked as a teacher for 8 years, and thereafter started working in the non-profit sector. The last 17 years Faith has spent working across communities in all provinces in South Africa. She has led organisations in the following focus areas: skills development and job placement for women; urban, rural and farming community development; education; health; student-led initiatives as well as malnutrition, hunger & food security. Faith's experience includes pioneering the work of a Foundation in South Africa, for the UK retailer Waitrose, aimed at improving the lives of farmworkers and their families. Faith serves on the Board of Directors of the VinPro Foundation. Her passion for seeing marginalised people having access to opportunities still out of reach to them, is what has drawn her to DOCKDA. She obtained her Grade 12 in 1992 at Lesedi High School and also obtained a Diploma in Leadership Skills in Ruth has been involved in various committees like the SGB (School Governing Body) for 9 years at Moraladi Primary School and is currently serving on the District Land Committee, District Aids Council, and Gasegonyana Local Aids Council. She became involved with various NGOs in 2000 and worked with Thusano as a Family Field Worker from 2000 to 2005 before being promoted to a Support and Development Coordinator. Ruth joined the DOCKDA team in 2015 as a Programme Officer in Kuruman, Batlharos and brings experience gained from working with various NGOs and a personal, in depth knowledge of the area. Kathleen Richardson completed her Honours Degree in Social Development from the University of Cape Town and her BA from Mercer University in the United States. She is currently working to complete her Master's degree in Social Development from the University of Cape Town. Prior to coming to South Africa, Kathleen worked as a Site Coordinator for the non-profit Communities In Schools, a dropout prevention organisation. Her passion for social justice is what drew her to the challenges that face the rural communities that DOCKDA serves.