What does it cost to build a movement when the voice creating its influence can also make the work harder to fund? Jenna-Leigh Bilong sits down with Women For Change founder Sabrina Walter to explore how a young woman who moved from Berlin to Cape Town became one of the most recognisable figures in South African GBV activism, and how the Purple Movement and G20 Women’s Shutdown grew into something far bigger than the organisation behind them.
Sabrina reflects on unequal media attention around femicide, pressure surrounding the shutdown, the financial reality of activist work, internal conflict within movement spaces and why influence is not automatically meaningful. She also speaks about being named to TIME100 and the quieter parts of her life she protects beyond Women For Change. Watch the full conversation.
Catch up on all Voices of Change episodes here: https://www.enca.com/voices-change-podcast
Chapter List
(00:00) The Woman Behind Women For Change
(02:21) From Berlin To Choosing South Africa
(05:56) How Digital Strategy Became Activism
(08:18) Which Women Get Remembered?
(12:51) From Petition To National Mobilisation
(14:33) When The Purple Movement Went Viral
(17:27) Why Sabrina Says They Asked Her To Stop
(19:43) The Money Activism Actually Requires
(22:09) If Funding Requires Silence, Is It Worth It?
(25:09) When Conflict Comes From Inside The Movement
(27:56) TIME100 And The Meaning Of Influence
(29:48) What Sabrina Keeps For Herself
