Local NGO empowers vulnerable women

A local NGO has empowered GBV-affected women with free beauty and defence skills.

Theresa Park, Pretoria-based NGO Beauty in Brokenness saw a need to empower these vulnerable women, said Tereda van Heerden.

“We help any group at risk to the increasing percentage of unemployment and the increasing number of GBV cases daily.

“We don’t only provide beauty skills but we also provide social support, counselling and life skills,” said Van Heerden.

“We currently don’t have any sponsors but have a good referral system, whereby women are sent to us and we refer them to other networks to provide social assistance such as shelter and food,” she continued.

The organisation is said to cater for women in all cultures and races and their main goal is to provide training free of charge to as many women they can possibly reach out to.

“Ladies come and apply, then go through assessments with a social worker to pick up if there’s any further need for them to get more assistance.

“When we’ve discovered that they are in abusive relationships, that’s when we move them to a shelter and also get them food assistance,” she said.

She added that the success of the organisation lies in women finding employment and independence.

“We started the project of training women to be employable and even start their own thing in November 2022 and our outreach has been in Sunnyside and Hammanskraal. We are hoping that it grows to other areas as well.

“I believe that broken crayons still colour, that’s why we enable women to find strength to overcome their situation, become resilient and self-reliant,” Heerden concluded.

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