0 comments
0 viewsMarelise and Amelia van der Merwe kick-started their ‘100k in 10 Days – R500 at a time’ Challenge to save the Saartje Baartman Centre, some R30.000 has been raised. The sisters are determined to fight on, despite the financial assistance offered by Western Cape’s Provincial government yesterday.
“We are running our challenge on weekdays, so we are in Day 4 today. So far, we have had a total of 46 pledges, which is less than we would like. However, many people have donated R1000 instead of R500, so we are doing well,” Marelise says.
“We hope to get more hits on the website, translating into more donations. We are getting the hits, but somehow, these are not always turning into donations,” she adds.
“We need more money. The financial assistance given by the province is fantastic, but it will only tie the centre over until September. That means the women and children who depend on the SBC, are not safe yet. People should not forget about that.”
The Centre in Manenberg offers a safe haven and a fresh start to women and children who have suffered domestic violence in all shapes and forms. As the victims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse typically have nowhere to go, the SBC is their only option to build a new life and recover from the trauma.
Unfortunately, the organization saw much of its expected funding fall away. “This threatened the SBC with closure by the end of May,” Marelise explains.
“We did not want to see 20 families – including babies and children – being pushed onto the streets or back to their abusers. Hence our campaign.”
Marelise and Amelia – who has been involved in research and counseling at the centre – set the target at R100.000, enough to push the centre through for a couple of months.
“100k would give them time to come up with an alternative funding strategy,” Van Der Merwe explains. “It might seem a lot, but if you think of it as 200 donations of R500, it does not seem so bad.”
The Van Der Merwes hope to get some companies on board. “Corporate donations are tax deductible and the SBC issues tax receipts on request. So any company or business that is looking for a good cause as part of their CSI strategy: you have just found it! Technically, it does not cost you much. It is a win-win situation.”