Fighting Gender Based Violence
The IIWC’s relationship with our new charity organisation, the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children (SBCWC), has started on a high note.
The SBCWC is a registered non-profit organisation and was opened in 1999 in response to the high rates of violence committed against women and children in the Cape Flats area in the Western Cape. It provides essential, cost-free and comprehensive services to abused women and children 365 days a year. These services include a 24-hour crisis response programme, a residential shelter programme and transitional housing for abused women and their children, a psycho-social support programme including a children’s counselling programme, a substance abuse programme and accredited job-skills training programmes for unemployed women.
Given the harrowing statistics of gender-based violence and violence against children nation-wide, the SBCWC routinely receive survivors from provinces outside of the Western Cape. This speaks to the remarkable reputation SBCWC has maintained over the years as a “one-stop centre” for survivors of abuse.
From our Golf Day proceeds, we were able to source and package roughly 100 sanitary parcels for the survivors which included items such as sanitary pads, lotion, shampoo and washing clothes. These parcels were accepted with great appreciation and we assured SBCWC that the assistance will be ongoing.
On our journey with SBCWC, we as the IIWC will actively participate in the fight against gender-based violence and violence against children in South Africa. This will include monetary donations, donations of essential hygiene and sanitary items and educational events attended by members of SBCWC.
Because of the sensitive nature of the work SBCWC does, photographs of the survivors are appropriately filtered for their privacy and safety. Below is a photograph graciously shared with us of some of the survivors receiving their parcels:
~Isaac Maregele