Wilro Lions relaunch Ladies Handbag Dignity Project
The atrocity that is GBV is sadly making headlines more and more often, and after seeing the climb in the number of rape and abuse reports during lockdown
A few months into the national lockdown in 2020, an exponential increase in the number of gender-based violence (GBV) reports led to president President Cyril Ramaphosa declaring this crime South Africa’s second pandemic.
The atrocity that is GBV is sadly making headlines more and more often, and after seeing the climb in the number of rape and abuse reports during lockdown, the Lions Club of Wilro Park has decided to relaunch an old project in an attempt to restore confidence in those affected. “Hearing about these sad cases made me realise that we should help raise awareness and bring dignity to these ladies,” said Wilro Lions President, Sandy van Heerden.
The Ladies Handbag Dignity Project, which sees women’s handbags being filled with a few small items to bring hope and dignity, is being coordinated by two of the club’s dedicated Service Committee members, Sonja Eloff and Niqula Kruger. The aim of the project is to raise awareness of the issues of domestic violence and rape, and hopefully help the victims see that they are not alone.
Each handbag will be filled with the following items before being distributed to women in the safe houses the Lions work with:
• Bottle of water
• Biscuits
• Hand sanitizer
• Facecloth
• Body wash or soap
• Body lotion
• Deodorant
• Pocket pack of tissues
• Sanitary products
• A small gift
• A small message of hope
“We are hoping that our community will assist us in collecting and filling our handbags of hope to gift to ladies who really need a hand up and a little gift to make them feel valued again,” continued Sandy. The Lions are asking community members to please donate a new or pre-loved handbag or any of the items from the list to help the project reach as many women as possible.
This will be an ongoing project, so there is no deadline for donations, but the sooner donations are received, the sooner dignity can be shared. To get involved or to find out more, contact Sonja on 083 268 1397 or Niqula on 084 603 4187.
