It’s Not About Me
SANDTON – The fundraising event, hosted at the Maslow Hotel, will help fund houses of safety for women and children.
A non-profit organisation dedicated to helping abused women was overwhelmed with support during a fundraising event in Sandton.
It’s Not About Me hosted the event to raise funds to support safe houses which have been donated. The safe houses will provide much-needed help to women and children who have escaped from violent situations. The homes will provide temporary refuge and safety while getting the necessary court orders and acquiring legal protection. The women will be able to reside in the safe space until they have found alternative residence and/or employment.
The event, which was hosted by the Maslow Hotel, treated guests, including Mayor Herman Mashaba, to a glitzy evening in the hopes of raising funds for the organisation.
Shereen Hunter, the founder of It’s Not About Me, said that she had spent much of her life dedicated to helping others and her passion is to mobilise people within communities who can offer their resources to those in need.
“We’ve cut through all the bureaucratic red tape that you find in a lot of non-profit work… we’ve said it doesn’t matter which part of society you are a part of. If you make it not about you, you really can do what you can with what you have.”
Survivors of abuse shared their stories on the evening and highlighted how It’s Not About Me had helped them overcome traumatic instances. One of the survivors Debbie Hanekom said that through her experience she knows she can assist other young girls who have experienced abuse and offer them support.
The MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun said that in his job he had seen some awful things that still affect him. He praised the survivors for their strength to share their stories.
He highlighted that, as the City of Johannesburg, they will work to ensure that they not only fight crime but to work to ensure that women in the city are safe. “We will continue until the day that I am prepared to let my son and my daughter to go out to the shop on their own or play on the street with their friends without me having to worry what might happen to them. Only then is our job done.”
Mashaba said, “The reason that I do the job that I do is because it’s not about me…one thing is for sure, for as long as I am alive and as long as I am the mayor of this city we are going to fight this fight [human trafficking].”
Details: It’s Not About Me Colleen@itsnotaboutme.co.za
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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/226277/its-not-about-me-organisation-hopes-to-provide-safe-haven-for-women/
