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
She/Her
Is a children’s rights activist, community organiser, and feminist based in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. Her work is rooted in communities experiencing structural exclusion from health, education, safety, and basic services. Grounded in social justice and health equity, she collaborates with grassroots movements and researchers to bring lived, community-based knowledge into broader conversations on structural inequality, collective resistance, and socio-economic rights. With several years of experience in community mobilisation and advocacy, her work sits at the intersection of children’s rights, health justice, and social accountability. She focuses on how poverty, unsafe environments, food insecurity, weak child protection systems, and unequal access to education undermine children’s physical, mental, and social well-being. Her expertise includes grassroots organising, rights education, coalition-building, documenting systemic failures, and facilitating collective action between communities and the state. She specialises in translating lived realities into sustained advocacy that challenges institutional neglect and advances structural reform. Olwethu serves as a lead organiser with the Makhanda Children’s Rights Coalition, where she mobilises communities around children’s health and rights violations, coordinates programmes addressing the social determinants of health, and engages government departments to demand accountability. She also supports the Unemployed People’s Movement, contributing to movement-building strategies and strengthening resource mobilisation for social justice campaigns. Her work has helped amplify children’s voices, strengthen grassroots leadership among women and youth, and improve responsiveness from local institutions. She envisions a socially just world where health is not determined by poverty, postcode, or age and where children’s well-being is a central measure of justice.
