Current Activities:

Safecare - SafeHouse: From January to December 2004, one thousand and fifty two (1 052) call outs were attended to by volunteers from six of our Crisis Centres. Two hundred and fifty six (256) of these cases were for domestic violence and one hundred and forty nine (149) for rape. We also dealt with seventy- seven (77) cases of child abuse and twelve (12) murder cases.

Of the cases dealt with by our volunteers eighty-five (85) people were admitted to the Safe House. In the first six weeks of 2005, we have already cared for 23 victims in our SafeHouse and this from 26 callouts.

We also accommodate rape/abused children for the Family Violence, Child Abuse, Sexual Offences Unit and the Operation Bobbi Bear Foundation, as well as any young women from the Pregnancy Resource Centre who might need protection orders. We care for children between foster/adoption homes’ and runaway cases.

The SAPS, Social Welfare Dept, Churches, Schools and other Community Centres refer victims to us. They have come from Richards Bay, St Lucia, the Eastern Cape, and from all around the Durban area.

Safecare – Qualified Counsellors have assisted Safecare in counselling survivors. Since May 2004 Fifty (50) traumatised victims of abuse or crime have received counselling. Wherever possible the abusers have also been counselled. Various support programs have been run for AMCUP, SAPS and MEDSA, all to help with recovery from trauma.

These same organisations refer cases to us for counselling, but we are not always able to assist, as our facilities are inadequate. We have also become aware of the need for programmes for support groups – e.g., suicide, grief counselling etc. During the second half of 2004, Safecare assisted a psychology honours student with her training and further qualifications. She also counselled cases but the statistics for these counselling sessions are for university information only. Legal advice on various issues such as maintenance and divorce/separation was given to 15 people.

Safecare - Help Desk/Cell Phone Network: our Cell Phone Network deals with all referrals, from whatever source, during office hours by our Help Desk and after hours. All calls are logged. Volunteers are alerted to the crisis and despatched accordingly. We also do telephone counselling and refer cases to other organizations. In the past few months we have counselled fifty-three (53) cases, of which eleven (11) were helped with court procedures. Our Help Desk handled ninety-eight (98) callouts during office hours.

Safecare - Transportation: We have continued to run our two small vehicles, the acquisition of which was funded by AusAid, taking rape and abuse victims to the court and in the running of our sewing project. A distance of 30 000 kms was travelled over the period January – December 2004.

We also deliver food and clothing to the poverty stricken, usually referred to us by our HIV/AIDS Care Givers or Hospice. We also support a Child Care Centre for HIV/AIDS orphans in Ezimbokodweni, with food, clothing toys and books etc.

Safecare - HIV/AIDS: Home based Care Givers have been trained for Safecare by Hospice. Some of them operate from the Centres and some from their homes. Safecare has supplies them with the care kits they use – rape kits, HIV/AIDS kits, soaps, toiletries, gloves and disinfectants. We give out bed linen and blankets, when available. The Care Givers also gave out food and clothing parcels, supplied by Safecare.

In 2004 one thousand five hundred (1 500) cases were attended to by Care Givers from two of our Centres. One hundred and seventy three (173) of these cases died. Some of our Care Givers run Child Care Centres for the HIV/AIDS orphans. Safecare assists with food, clothing etc. when stock is available.

Safecare – Crisis /Care Centres: We are presently investigating tunnel gardening for two of our Centres – Adams Mission and Kwa Makhutha. We have applied for funding for this from another source but have not heard whether our request has been granted. We are facilitating the building of a room, wall and shelter for a Day Care Centre for HIV/AIDS orphans and abandoned children in Ezimbokodweni. Ground has been allotted for a preschool and we are seeking sponsors for this.

Safecare – Awareness Programmes: We support the Amanzimtoti SAPS drug and abuse awareness programme (Fundisa). Safecare also runs awareness programmes against crime and abuse in the various Crisis/Care Centres. Programmes against HIV/AIDS, crime and abuse are also run for the youth in the outlying areas.