Assessing the Capability Approach as an Evaluation Tool for Community Networks on Intimate Partner Violence in Seven Durban Townships in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This qualitative study adopts the Capability Approach (CA) as a theoretical framework to evaluate community networks established by the White Door Centers of Hope (WDC). WDC are safety sites, staffed by community members and located in seven townships (Wentworth, Merebank, Umlazi, Welbedacht, Bayview, Umbumbulu and Folweni) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The housemothers who staff the safety sites provide 24-hour support to survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). The South African Government and the KZN Network on Violence initiated this pilot project in 2014. This article provides a narrative of the opportunities and challenges experienced by the WDC and its community networks, when providing services, to create well-being and agency freedom for survivors of IPV.



Keywords: Capability Approach, Community Networks, Intimate Partner Violence, Social Interventions, White Door Center, House Mothers