The Power of Networks: How Women Strengthened Communities Through Connection
Another powerful lesson from the ANC Women’s League is their mastery of networks — not the digital kind, but human networks built on trust, loyalty, shared purpose, and constant communication.
These networks were the backbone of every success the women achieved.
They connected rural women to urban organisers.
They linked political action to household survival.
They built alliances across race, class, province, and ideology.
They made sure no woman ever stood alone.
Their strength wasn’t just in numbers — it was in connection.
A network meant that news travelled fast.
Support reached the right households.
Strategies could be coordinated quietly but effectively.
Collective action felt less risky because no one was operating in isolation.
This is why the pass laws were challenged so effectively.
This is why the 1956 march was possible.
This is why community kitchens, wellness clinics, literacy groups, and support structures worked even under pressure.
Behind everything was a web of women supporting women.
A network turns a group into a force.
This lesson is critical for addressing GBV in the DeafBlind community.
DeafBlind women often face isolation by default.
Communication barriers, mobility challenges, and community misunderstanding can create silence around their experiences. Isolation makes vulnerability easier — and makes support harder to access.
But networks can change that landscape completely.
When communities build intentional support networks, the risk decreases and protection increases.
A strong anti-GBV network for DeafBlind women looks like:
• Families who communicate regularly with neighbours
• Men who honour stepping forward as trusted safety contacts
• Community members learning tactile or adapted communication
• Accessible pathways to shelters, officers, and social workers
• Rapid-response circles — a small team who act immediately when someone signals distress
• Linking DeafBlind households to existing women’s rights organisations
• Connecting local leadership structures to disability-sensitive GBV services
The principle is simple:
The more connected a community becomes, the safer its most vulnerable members are.
Men who honour play a big role here — not just protecting, but linking.
Creating bridges.
Making sure information flows.
Acting as connectors between DeafBlind individuals and formal systems.
Strengthening the web that keeps the community safe.
The ANC Women’s League taught us that networks are not accidental — they are built with intention, maintained with consistency, and strengthened through shared purpose.
A strong network can protect someone long before the police arrive.
A strong network can pass information faster than formal case files.
A strong network can make a woman feel seen, supported, and safe.
Their legacy teaches us this truth:
Connection is power.
Connection is protection.
Connection is activism in action.