Artists for a New South Africa
Is a non-profit organization working in the U.S. and South Africa to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, advance civil and voting rights, and educate and empower youth. Established in 1989, ANSA works in partnership with effective organizations on the frontlines of these issues, making a substantial difference through grants, media campaigns, educational and arts programs, advocacy, distribution of material aid, and the development of innovative, collaborative projects. Founded to support South Africa 's struggle against apartheid, since 1994, ANSA has raised over $8 million for South African non-profits, shipped more than 60 tons of medical supplies and books to impoverished communities, and helped educate millions of adults and youth in the U.S. , South Africa and throughout the African Continent about HIV/AIDS and voting. ANSA works in consultation and partnership with effective non-governmental organizations (NGOs), activists and leaders on the frontlines. ANSA helps by mobilizing international support, raising visibility and awareness and, most importantly, providing needed resources to empower and further the aims of effective NGOs and wider movements and campaigns.

ANSA Homepage

ANSA achieves its mission through the following programs:

Artists and Athletes Take Action Network (AATAN):
AATAN mobilizes substantive American and international celebrity participation in ANSA's work and in the work of its South African partners in order to gain increased attention, resources, involvement, and support from the wider public. ANSA recruits artists and athletes, educates them about the issues, and coordinates their participation in public education programs, media campaigns, fundraising efforts, and strategic advocacy calling for action and reform.

Amandla AIDS Fund: Established in 2003, with a 2.5 million donation from Carlos and Deborah Santana, AAF provides funding for effective South African programs that combat HIV/AIDS, provide treatment and treatment literacy training, and care for children orphaned by the disease.

It Takes a Village (ITV) Orphan and Vulnerable Children Initiative: In partnership with South African AIDS experts, child welfare NGOs, and the highly respected AIDS Foundation of South Africa, ANSA developed and AAF funded ITV to address the needs of children orphaned by the AIDS crisis, who are living on their own or in informal foster care. This groundbreaking project works to: build capacity for community-based organizations that serve orphan and vulnerable children (OVCs) through staff development, training, and oversight; provide comprehensive services for OVCs and their caregivers including counselling, legal services and Adoption placement; and mitigate impact on communities through HIV/AIDS prevention, and stabilization of food sources through gardens and livestock, etc.

Voices from the Frontlines: This program educates and mobilizes a broader public on the Global AIDS pandemic. By utilizing the power of theatre to help humanize the overwhelming statistics of the AIDS pandemic through first-person narratives, speeches, music, and poetry, by and about noted and unsung heroes on the frontlines of the struggle in South Africa, Africa and America . The project aims to inspire new levels of awareness and compassion, reduce stigmatization on the illness, and help motivate and mobilize immediate and sustained involvement by new activists.

ASAP: Medical Supply Shipment Coalition ANSA founded and coordinates Aid to South African People (ASAP), a coalition of U.S.-based non-profit organizations working together to send donated, high-quality, essential medical supplies to South African clinics, hospitals, and hospices. ANSA identifies and works with South African-based recipient agencies, which provide medical care to communities severely impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Election Protection (EP): ANSA is a core member of the EP Coalition, which works to safeguard voters' rights, especially in African American, Latino, and other historically disenfranchised communities. EP informs the public about upcoming elections, encourages voter participation, advises voters of their legal rights, and offers free and immediate legal assistance to those who encounter obstacles when trying to register and vote. ANSA produces nationally distributed radio public service announcements featuring noted artists- including Samuel L. Jackson, Alfre Woodard, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Angela Bassett, and Danny Glover.