Rising above addiction to lead a full life in Lydenburg

De Graeve received her degree from the Professional Counselling Academy International, a part of the Counsellor Association of SA, on November 19.
Receiving this academic accolade is a full-circle journey for De Graeve, as she was only able to finish her matric in her early 20s.

She is currently enrolled at the academy to start her doctorate in 2023.
She said her former drug dealer had driven her to Mashishing High School to attend classes and write her exams. No other institution or school in Lydenburg was prepared to help her at that time.
Choosing between buying milk for her baby or contemplating using that money to buy an illegal substance, was one of the decisions she needed to make to transform her life drastically.

She met her husband, David, in Klerksdorp during a time she was at her lowest. This was also the town where she was exposed to illegal substances for the first time as a teenager and became the victim of sexual abuse at a young age.

“David was also in dire straits, and we literally fled from Klerksdorp and ended up in Lydenburg. We knew we would never be free of substance abuse if we didn’t leave the circumstances we were used to. At that stage, a series of events and God took over.

“Already in Lydenburg, we walked towards town one morning. We were holding our few-month-old baby. We were asking strangers for money to buy milk for him. The Good Samaritans who supported us through this most difficult time in our life, know who they are. They will forever be family in our eyes. They gave us a place to stay and David was employed at a local security firm,” said Charmaine.

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Even though one of the conditions was that they had to stop using drugs, it took a further two years for them to be free of these demons.
“A couple of years ago, the only thing I cared about was the next hit. Where are we going to get the money to buy it? We stole, cheated and lied to support our habit. It was a surreal moment when David said we must pray and ask God to take this addiction away from us in His name. We both knew we were going to die and leave our children parentless if we didn’t stop. We prayed so many times, but on that specific day, God’s plan was revealed to us.
“After David had prayed for us, God saved us in a heartbeat. We knew that we are loved and worthy. We now work with addicts, prostitutes and the lost. They think they are the forgotten ones. But we have created a supportive community for them to know that someone will know if they were to just disappear,” said Charmaine.

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She is the extraction leader and trauma counsellor of the Jethro Group, a non-profit organisation. Their house in Lydenburg is a registered safe house where abused women and children can stay after she has extracted them from the unfavourable environments in which they live.

She is only allowed to extract people over 18 years from abusive situations, and she works closely with the CMR to help the children who are sometimes involved. The families they help live under severe abusive and life-threatening situations.
She shared her journey in her first book, God of all Grace – The Life, Love, Heart and Hope of a Hopeless Addict, under her maiden name. It is exclusively available on www.amazon.com.

The purpose of this book and her mastering her qualifications to be a registered specialist counsellor is to help
the community, to inspire them and to spread hope.
Phone her on 073 066 8836 for more information, or if you are in need of assistance from the Jethro Group.