2011 Report - Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children

We also bid farewell to Saskia Van Dijk and
Nina Van Vlijmen, who had one-year contracts with
the Centre and were funded by the Cape Winelands
Municipality. It was great to have extra staff assisting in the
shelter and job-skills programmes.
We warmly welcome Hermien Gibson as the newly
appointed residential manager, Kryska Marquard as
residential assistant who lives on-site and Dorothea Gertse
as the social worker in the empowerment programme.
Congratulations to Ilse Ahrends in her new position as
Empowerment Programme Manager.
Special congratulations to Fatima Ismail who celebrated her
marriage in April 2011!
The Centre held its annual strategic planning at Goudini
Spa in mid February. The planning was particularly
important as it served to discuss and confirm the details
of the new centre structures for smooth implementation.
It also provided a wonderful team building opportunity
for us! Many thanks to Jane Bennett, whose expertise
and guidance we appreciate as the Centre changes, grows
and improves.
08
2011 Annual Review
Many thanks to my colleagues for their hard work
over the past year and for their willingness to see
the restructuring process, with all its challenges, as
an opportunity to improve the Centre’s services. We
have been tested but can proudly say that we truly
do our best to work towards the Centre’s vision and
commitment in putting women and children first in all
that we do.
Our thanks to the wonderful people who provide
staff supervision, namely Jane Bennett, Charl Davids,
Sia Maw, Emilita Pecego, Grace Reid, Steven Viviers and
Fatima Williams.
CeNTre HiGHliGHTS
The Centre had another very successful ‘Sixteen Days of
Activism’ campaign at the end of 2010. A highlight of
the campaign was the Air your Dirty Laundry event held
in December 2010 where over a hundred teenagers from
surrounding high schools came to the Centre to create
T-shirts with messages to bring to attention the high rates of
violence that they are experiencing in their lives. Research
has shown that the women are often abused before the age
of eighteen. One in four men admitted to committing rape