Bigirimana, E. (2026). From faith to action: The Rapid Response Team model. Sexual Violence Research Initiative.

Abstract

The Rapid Response Team (RRT) model, developed by Phephisa Survivors Network, brings together survivors, community members, faith leaders and service providers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to address GBV at its source through community-level, multi-stakeholder coordination for unified action.

The third brief of the Practice Lab of the Faith and GBV CoP, written by Espérance Bigirimana, summarises the learnings from reflecting on the model and its implementation through a practice-based knowledge approach. Key learnings include that faith communities are often the first, and sometimes the only, accessible space for survivors; that including survivors in decision-making is key to shaping GBV responses around their needs; and that faith leaders’ capacities to respond to GBV need to be continuously developed and expanded.