Practitioner – Meleney Berry-Kriel

I am the CEO of the Viva Foundation of South Africa, a registered NPO and PBO operating within informal settlements and other high priority poverty areas. 

One of the 4 focus areas of the Viva Foundation is the Prevention and Response to Sexual and Domestic Violence.   I have developed an Action Plan for the prevention of- and Response to Sexual and Domestic Violence operating under the name SAPRI (South African People’s Response Initiative) and wrote a 6 module-training programme for Community-based Respondents including: Rape Response Protocol – Incident to Guilty Verdict, Court Procedures, Rape-specific First Aid, The Rights of a Victim, Counselling a Rape Survivor and SAPRI procedures.  The plan involves deploying panic buttons to households at risk, with response and follow-up.  

Civil society and community based organisations, Community, International / Development cooperation, Education, Faith-based organisation, NGOs/CBOs

Domestic violence / Intimate partner violence, Gender-based violence, Prevention concepts, Safety planning, Sexual violence, Urban safety, Victim support

I have authored papers, plans, training manuals, books and information materials on the prevention and response to sexual violence, sexuality and healing from the trauma of sexual abuse. 

I am a management specialist and social activist with experience in NPO management and community development. 

I am the co-founder of the Viva Foundation of South Africa and founder of SAPRI (South African People's Response Initiative) and have trained community-based respondents in appropriate response to sexual crimes.  The SAPRI Action Plan that I developed and implemented has reduced sexual- and domestic violence in the Alaska Informal Settlement (22 000 inhabitants), Mamelodi East to 2 attempted rapes, 1 rape and 4 cases of domestic violence in the period from April 2015 - April 2016, which is well below the national average and dramatically below the average for the demographic, which is the highest at risk, namely underprivileged women and girls. 

I am an experienced public speaker, communicator and dialogue facilitator, project developer and pragmatic problem solver.  

Training background include Theology in the 1980's (independent diploma and courses completed with ICI University), most recently Management (Post Grad Certificate in Advanced Health Management, FPD and Yale University 2011) and have taken part in a wide range of formal and informal short courses (operational management, financial managment, counselling, counselling of child-sexual abuse victims, NPO accounting and SARS compliancy, Clinical Thermography,  et Al.)  

I have written training manuals on Community Response to Sexual Violence namely 6 modules including Rape Response Protocol, Courth Procedures, Rape-Specific First Aid, Counselling a Rape Survivor, The Righst of a Victim and SAPRI Procedures and others.