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0 viewsA multi-disciplinary Women and Child Abuse Reporting and Response Centre officially opened this week at MaAfrika Tikkun’s Wings of Life Community Centre in Diepsloot, a community plagued by high levels of women and child abuse.
Sponsored by South Africa’s female-only insurer, 1st for Women Insurance, this is the first facility for abused women and children in the sprawling informal settlement. It is also believed to be the first of its kind in South Africa as it is brings together NGOs that specialise in different aspects of women and child abuse under one roof. The Centre will be hosted and operated by MaAfrika Tikkun, an NGO focused on the sustainable transformation of communities, in partnership with Teddy Bear Clinic, POWA and Childline.
The new Centre is one of the ground-breaking initiatives 1st for Women, via the 1st for Women Trust, has made possible via its R2-million donation towards promoting women empowerment in Diepsloot. Another aspect of the initiative involves the training of more MaAfrika Tikkun caregivers and volunteers in the area of family and child services and gender related issues. This will enable the caregivers to reach an additional 3 600 individuals every week.
“As we approach the end of Women’s month in South Africa, 1st for Women is pleased to give the Diepsloot community a lasting legacy that will no doubt make a real difference to the lives of its women and children,” said Robyn Farrell,1st for Women’s managing director. According to Farrell, the 1st for Women MaAfrika Tikkun partnership goes beyond the provision of financial support. “Being a partnership in the true sense, human resource support from 1st for Women will also be provided to motivate, integrate and equip both our employees and MaAfrika Tikkun’s people as agents of change,” she added.
“Thanks to 1st for Women, we have been able to equip the Wings of Life centre as a safe haven for women in the Diepsloot community to report and receive assistance in instances of domestic violence, rape and abuse,” said MaAfrika Tikkun CEO, Marc Lubner. “We are also extremely grateful to our NGO partners – Teddy Bear Clinic, POWA and Childline – for supporting us in our vision to transform communities. By working together in a true partnership, I am confident that we will be able to make a tangible difference to the lives of women and children in this community,” Lubner concluded.