Ferndale-based psychosocial and mental health organisation, Phola celebrated its annual event; the Women of Courage lunch.
The event is aimed to honour the women in the communities, as well as to recognise their resilience and contribution. The event has a great commitment to supporting and empowering women.
Other stakeholders invited included SASSA to assist in the better understanding of grants and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) to teach and warn about gender-based violence. National Credit Regulator was also invited to give women tips on using money wisely.
Carren Liando of Phola said that there is a part of different community forums which consist of different stakeholders.
“We partner and invite our fellow stakeholders who we know can share information that is beneficial to our attendees. We had SASSA, and they informed and educated participants about grants. CSVR funded us in one of our projects they needed to hear testimonies of the people we worked with, as well as them giving words of motivation.”
Women from various communities including Zanspruit, Lionpark, Diepsloot and Cosmo City came together to learn and celebrate the event.
“As the organisation we believe bringing together individuals from different backgrounds, fosters a sense of unity and solidarity among them.”
Testimonies of how the organisation has aided individuals in their healing journeys were presented in order to inspire others and demonstrate Phola’s good impact on people’s lives.
Liando believed that the 2023 lunch was quite different compared to others, they celebrated women in a unique way. Following the theme of women’s social economic rights and empowerment.
“We focused on empowering women economically, attendees were encouraged to be financially dependent, helping them revive their skills and we reminded them of their value in the communities as we know, without a woman, there is no community,” added Liando.
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