Students from Stellenbosch University (SU), University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of the Western Cape (UWC) have been raising money to build a safe house in Steenberg, Cape Town for women and children from the surrounding areas.
The money being raised from the student initiative will go to Philisa Abafazi Bethu, a non-profit organisation (NPO), said Laurie Oliver, a member of the Stellenbosch Juridical Society (JV/S) and board member of the Bayakhanya Foundation non-profit company (NPC). The initiative coincides with Women’s Month.
According to Oliver, the parties involved are the JV/S of Stellenbosch Law Faculty, UCT law students’ council (UCT LSC), UWC law students’ council (UWC LSC) and the Bayakhanya Foundation NPC.
A GivenGain platform was launched in the first week of August to raise these funds, said Oliver.
“The main reason this initiative was started was because I felt like there was so much more that university students can be doing to give back to their communities, and specifically to aid in the fight against gender-based violence,” she said.
The idea to start this initiative began when Oliver contacted Lucinda Evans, the founder of Philisa Abafazi Bethu, at the end of July to find out how the students could assist, especially during Women’s Month.
According to Oliver, Evans told her that they are currently in the process of building a women’s centre and emergency safe house for women who are seeking refuge. Oliver then decided to get more people involved.
The women’s centre will be made out of multiple large containers in light of the need for sustainability, said Oliver. PHOTO: Supplied/Laurie Oliver
Young people, and especially young men, need to participate in such projects, Evans said.
“The more informed young men are around anti-GBV [gender-based violence] efforts and the protection of women, the more able they are to influence their peers,” said Evans.
According to Teno Jooste, chairperson of the UWC LSC who is involved in the initiative, it is the duty of citizens to do everything in their power to protect the women of South Africa against individuals who have ill intentions.
“This shelter and emergency safe house will be a great start in achieving this goal,” she said.
The chair of the UCT LSC, Danelle Plaaitjies, said she joined the initiative because of how important it is to actively contribute to the project of supporting women who experience GBV in South Africa.
The fact that we must go to such an extent to protect women in society speaks volumes about the society we are living in, said Jooste. PHOTO: Supplied/Laurie Oliver
According to Oliver, donations are welcome at all times as she plans on keeping this fundraiser open to continue donating to Philisa Abafazi in the future.
“[T]hey are hoping to complete their new women’s centre and emergency safe house by mid-September,” said Oliver.