Dr. Lesley Ann Foster is the founder and Director of Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre, an NGO working in the Eastern Cape as a crisis support centre for women and girl children survivors of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault. The centre remains one of the most significant facilities offering a gender-specific service to victims and survivors of gender-based violence and women and girls living with HIV/AIDS in the Eastern Cape. In addition the centre conducts public education programmes and training.

Dr. Foster also set up victim support centres in the law courts of East London and Mdantsane. Dr Foster has supported and assisted in the establishment and/or development of several outreach centres. She is a member of several National and International boards and committees. She has quite a number of Research, presented papers and publications to her credit. Dr Foster has been honoured and awarded several awards and was recently appointed the first President for the African women’s rights group Amanitare.