Since 1998 Trócaire has been involved in supporting the indigenous San peoples of southern Angola, sometimes known as Angola's bushmen. They are the oldest inhabitants of southern Africa and are mainly located in remote, inaccessible areas. Many still live as hunter-gatherers in rudimentary shelters, moving within their ancestral territories, while others have settled in homesteads where they practice agriculture, surrounded by Bantu neighbours, or live in urban communities.
Initial contact with San communities showed that they suffered greatly as a result of the war. Their access to food had been reduced, mortality rates were high, and their way of life was under serious threat. There is a long history of open exploitation and discrimination against the San by neighbouring Bantu groups who have more socio-economic and political power. Since 2002, much of Trócaire's support to the San has been directed through OCADEC, a national NGO that has gained the trust of the San people and works to defend their traditional rights and way of life.
The way in which Trócaire's works with the San has changed over recent years. The initial concern was to address the need for food security. After three emergency programmes, which focused primarily on seeds and tools' distribution, local communities effectively became self-sufficient in terms of food requirements. Achieving food security has had an enormous influence upon both the physical and mental well-being of the Angolan San. As a direct result, many of the San are now more confident and able to focus on planning longer-term development interventions.
Other international organisations (Norwegian Church Aid, Terre des Hommes, WIMSA the 'Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa) have collaborated with Trócaire and OCADEC to develop these longer-term and broader developmental interventions. The intervention is based on securing the ancient lands of the San by working with the Angolan government to get these registered; supporting the San in their efforts to rebuild and regain their identity and pride in their culture: improving agricultural methods and management of livestock; promoting greater education for children; developing mechanism for resolving conflict between the San and their Bantu neighbours (frequently over access to water), as well as promoting income-generating opportunities. The San have also benefited from Trócaire's Global Gift campaign as goats have been provided to some communities.
An innovative piece of work was carried out with WIMSA, when Trócaire supported the publication in 2003 of Where the First are Last - San Communities Fighting for Survival in Southern Angola. This did much to highlight the needs of the San as well as respect for their traditional and ancient way of life.