Centre opens doors to hope

THE Open Door Crisis Care Centre held its final Lay Counselling course of the year.

Hosted by the Pinetown NPO three times annually, it is a learning opportunity open to all – students, managers, teachers, or those wishing to deal with crisis issues in their communities. The crisis and trauma centre was established by Thora Mansfield twenty-five years ago when she was approached by the South African Police Services.

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Mansfield says, “We started at St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, with a focus on abused women. We had R100 in the bank, a borrowed computer, and counselled outside the graveyard from a car. Now we have a thirty-roomed house as the hub of our organisation.”

The NPO’s goal is the eradication of domestic violence through advocacy, education and empowerment. Psycho social services and counselling, training, education, support and outreach services into the community are provided.

“We have seen 400 000 people for direct and indirect services since starting, which is enough to fill five rugby fields. Imagine every person is carrying a cracked or broken urn – we like to think we put the broken pieces together again,” says Mansfield.

The Open Door focuses on four areas – prevention, protection, partnerships and prosecutions. Prevention entails raising awareness with talks and training on the prevention of rape, abuse and domestic violence. Protection is provided through their shelters, and the NPO has partnerships with important role-players such as the RK Khan Child Abuse Forum, the Thuthuzela Care Centre, and the Provincial Task Team for Human Trafficking unit.

Mansfield says, “Prosecution involves working with the magistrates to get a protection order or making women aware of what resources are available to them.”

Additionally, the Open Door is recognised in the counselling and psychosocial services sector as a lead trauma debriefing entity. The NPO uses a containment system to help families or individuals through trauma.

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Ann Young, programme co-ordinator, says, “When a family has a home invasion or hijacking, we contain the situation and help them take steps to make themselves feel safer. We build a haven around the person or family. The first session is trauma debriefing, and then we monitor and support them for the following four weeks.”

Young states that the NPO has seen a recent increase in suicide-related counselling cases, and that they assist victims of trauma, crime, bereavement and abuse, including domestic, emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

“We believe that we turn victims into victorious people. We give people hope and restore them.

“We bring healing and restoration, and then re-integration back into the community. Our work is where the greatest need is,” says Mansfield.

Mansfield says the biggest challenge this year has been on the fundraising front.

“Donor fatigue following the floods has affected donations. We don’t have visuals to tug at people’s heartstrings. We can’t show you a raped or beaten woman who had to run away and who comes to us with broken bones, and with no clothes. It’s difficult to show what we do, and people often don’t want to recognise that abuse is happening,” says Mansfield.

For information on donating or to book counselling services, contact: 031 709 2679, admin@opendoor.org.za or the 24-hour number at 064 996 9256.