Know Your Local Organisation

Know Your Local NGOs is a new initiative of Express that attempts to bridge the gap that might exist between the community, corporates and local organisations.

The aim is to make local organisations that continuously make a difference in the community known to the public.

These organisations include non-profit organisations (NPOs), non-government organisations (NGOs), and non-profit companies (NPCs).

This week, we feature Life Link Pregnancy Crisis Centre established in 2001.

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• What does the organisation do?
Provides positive alternatives to abortion and abandonment.

• Where is it based?
Offices are at 10 Du Plessis Avenue, Kempton Park Extension Two (opposite Kreft Primary School).

• Who does it aim to help?
The organisation assists any woman facing an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy, or vulnerable women and women considering abandoning their babies because they feel they can’t look after their babies.

• What are some of your ongoing operations/campaigns/outreach programmes?
Life Link offers the following free and confidential services: pregnancy testing, options counselling, adoption advice, adoption facilitation, HIV counselling and testing, post abortion/miscarriage counselling, non-diagnostic ultrasounds, in-house programmes for moms who have gone through counselling and a Baby Safe.

• What are some of the prominent challenges faced by the organisation?
“We do not receive funding from government and have to constantly raise funds. We rely on the generosity of the community and corporates,” said Sharon Rushton, founder and director of Life Link.

• What are the organisation’s needs?
Toiletries for moms and babies and nappies for the single mom support programme, as well as funding.

• How has Covid-19, regulations and restrictions and lockdown impacted the organisation?
“We were closed for two months and when we reopened we had a flood of clients. We had 13 clients on the first day after reopening and had a total of 68 clients in June,” said Rushton.

“Moms are in desperate need, with some having lost their jobs or their partners having lost their jobs and are unable to afford the basics for their families. They are battling to feed and clothe their children and therefore turn to us. This has placed a huge strain on our resources.”

• Contact details:
Cell: 083 562 6106
Email: lifelink@global.co.za
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 1pm.

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