Opening up thousands of gender justice publications
More than ten years as Sonke Gender Justice's web partner: a rebuilt website, then full hosting, management and content support.
The need
Who they needed to reach
Government, civil society, community activists, researchers and funders across Africa and around the world
What stood in the way
Sonke Gender Justice works across Africa to strengthen government, civil society and citizen capacity to promote gender equality, prevent domestic and sexual violence, and reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS. It is one of the larger NGOs on the continent, and its research, toolkits, policy work and campaign materials are used by organisations far beyond its own. But when we took over its website, it was massive and much of it was hard-coded. Every update needed a developer, and thousands of publications were difficult to find.
What success looked like
A website that stayed current every day, with Sonke's whole body of work easy to search, and that kept pace with the organisation as it grew.
How we met the need
We moved Sonke's website onto a modern content management system, converting thousands of documents and publications so they could be searched and filtered. We worked with the organisation to build an attractive, functional website for its huge constituency, organised around how Sonke brings change, its programmes and its resources, and built to work on any device. Then we stayed on for more than ten years, hosting and managing the site and handling all of its content.
The process
Sonke Gender Justice works with men and boys, women and communities to end gender-based violence, reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS, and promote equality. Its research, toolkits and campaigns are used by governments, NGOs and activists across Africa, which makes its website one of its most important tools.
When we took over the site, it was huge and largely hard-coded. Publishing anything meant asking a developer, and thousands of documents were scattered across pages with no easy way to search them.
We rebuilt the site on a modern content management system and converted those thousands of documents and publications into a library that can be searched and filtered. Working closely with Sonke’s team, we organised the site around how the organisation brings change, so a visitor could move from a programme to the stories, research and resources behind it, on any device.
That was the start of a partnership that lasted more than ten years. We provided full hosting and site management, and handled all of Sonke’s web content: publishing news, stories, publications and campaign material as its work grew. We also built Men & HIV, a research website for Sonke and UNAIDS.
What the client got
Sonke's publications moved into a modern content management system, where partners could find its research and toolkits. With hosting, management and content handled in one place, Sonke's team could focus on its programmes while its website stayed current. Over more than ten years the website grew with the organisation, carrying its programmes and campaigns to a wide audience across Africa and beyond.
Visit the live site ↗
