Local GBV-survivor a semi-finalist in big competition

Ms Mary Erichsen, a resident of the Carletonville area, hopes to inspire others through her nomination as a semi-finalist in a national competition.
Erichsen (47) made the semi-finals in the Dream Girls 2024 competition.
“This is not a normal beauty pageant, but rather a programme for empowering women from all backgrounds to make a positive change in the world,” she explains.

Erichsen thought she had met her dream partner at 19, but when their marriage ended years later, he tried to gain full custody of their son.
This three-year-long legal battle resulted in significant financial losses and forced Erichsen to resign from her career.

She later met “Mr X” and lived with him until he abused her to such an extent that she had to leave all her possessions behind and flee to Carletonville.

Erichsen ended up in the SAVF Deurgangshuis, a shelter for abused women, but almost immediately showed that she was a formidable woman with numerous skills to help the organisation and inspire others.

Under the mentorship of the former SAVF regional manager Suzette Oosthuizen, Erichsen became an employee of the SAVF within months of arriving at the Deurgangshuis. She also won the “Volunteer of the Year” awardfor helping other women overcome difficulties.

Erichsen, who works as a tax consultant and at an estate agency in town, still uses every opportunity to share her story and help others.

She is a motivational speaker who reaches out to others at her church, local hospitals and GBV projects, among other places.

Her advice to other GBV survivors is to first focus on healing themselves before extending help to others.

There are 179 semi-finalists in the competition, only 100 of which will proceed to the next level on 7 December 2024.

You can vote for Erichsen at https://pageantvoteafrica.com/pageants/1369.