The comfort packs for rape survivors.
A non-profit organisation is asking the public to donate comfort packs for rape survivors.
Woman Against Rape (WAR) will be the beneficiary of a R500-a-head fund-raising dinner hosted by R Miller Attorneys, at the Taj Hotel in Cape Town, on Monday August 8, from 5.30pm.
Rene Miller, the firm’s managing director, said they hoped to sell 120 tickets and would also have a drop box for sanitary towels on the day. There is another drop box at the firm’s offices in Thornton Road, Athlone.
“We came up with the specific event because we are a female-only law firm, and we feel strongly about empowering women. We know that WAR needs funds,” she said.
The NPO began in March 2000 by delivering comfort pack parcels to rape victims at police stations, and it grew from there. It now works alongside rape victims and abused and molested children and adults.
WAR offers counselling, educational talks, self-help and animal care, and its outreach work includes sandwich making, agricultural training, and environmental clean-ups.
According to Janine Rowley, the founder of WAR and herself a rape survivor, a comfort pack can cost between R250 to R350. It includes a towel, a face cloth, deodorant (not roll on), soap body lotion, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a sanitary towel, lip ice, a comb, underwear (boys, girls, women, men), a teddy bear or soft toy, a sweet, juice, and a bag for the contents.
“There are so many things that we need as an organisation. We really need to start looking at rape statistics in South Africa,” she said. Visit womanagainstrape.co.za to make a donation or for more information.