The Advancement for the Status of Women (ASW) which is a multi-sectoral think-tank and an intergenerational platform of accomplished and emerging women leaders was launched at the Blue Valley Clubhouse, Midrand on the 7th August 2009.

The ASW members along with the signed the declaration after the launch which reads as thus:

ASW DECLARATION

The ASW is an African-centred, non-partisan cross-generational forum of women re-claiming their space in the world.  The ASW recognizes that strong families and societies built on the foundations of equality require that all members of society be provided with spaces that are affirming and promote human dignity, and social and environmental protection.  We entrench ourselves in our social world as change agents who can craft a desired world through collective action and participation.  The ASW re-languages the social vocabulary in ways that attach value and meaning to the contributions made by women, men and children in domestic and public spaces.

The group is proudly constituted of accomplished and emerging women leaders initiating constructive social dialogue and action.  The forum creates opportunities for dialogue between women of all ages and social positions.   

The ASW recognizes the need for nuanced analysis of flows of power in ways that are enabling.  We seek to engage with the world with a feminine ethic that encourages all members of society to be fully authentic; a space that empowers all members of society enabling more humane social interactions in the domestic and public spaces.