Meghan Cremer, a vibrant showjumper and bakery manager from Cape Town, went missing from her home and fell victim to a robbery in August last year.

Five days later, police found her body buried in a Philippi sand mine.

ALSO READ: ‘Women are not your crime scene’ – help fight gender-based violence

In her honor,  close friend Lize Hartley hopes to save other young women from a similar fate by raising funds for the Justice Desk, an award-winning human rights organisation.

Remembering Meghan

Lize met Meghan in 2016 and the pair bonded over their love of riding and horses. As their horses were stable neighbours, on the property where Meghan lived, spending time together became a routine and the young women developed a meaningful friendship.

“Meghan was a wonderful friend, businesswoman and animal lover. I miss her warm and generous personality and her quick, dry sense of humor. She was the type of person who was always willing to help,” says Lize.

Like many of Meghan’s loved ones, trying to understand the tragedy of what happened left many unanswered questions and an unmistakable void in the lives of all who loved her.

“For weeks and weeks after her death, whenever I parked outside her cottage, on the same property we kept our horses, I would look for her. And every time I would need to remind myself that she wasn’t there; it took a long time before that sank in,” says Lize.

Crowdfunding to protect young women

Partnering with the Justice Desk, Lize has launched a crowdfunding campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy, to educate and protect young girls as we celebrate Women’s Month around the globe.

With support from the public, Lize hopes to raise R60 000 to support the Justice Desk and their Mbokodo Club by covering the cost for 30 young women to benefit from the project that focuses on female empowerment, leadership, and teaches self-defense to survivors of gender-based violence.

“This September, Meghan would have turned 30. I hope that with my BackaBuddy campaign, we can celebrate the wonderful and meaningful life she lead by protecting other young women in her honor,” says Lize

Watch video appeal HERE

Gender-based violence in South Africa

According to the South African Police Service, a woman is murdered every three hours in South Africa.

“It is painful to speak about gender-based violence, but it is important that we speak up at every opportunity and continue to fight this fight. If I can improve one woman’s life, if I can help prevent anyone from the pain we all experienced when we lost Meghan, that will be enough. There is a mother, daughter, sister and friend behind every statistic,” says Lize

Make a difference this Women’s Month

Members of the public, looking to make a difference this women month, are encouraged to launch their own crowdfunding initiatives to support the Justice Desk and their mandate to support vulnerable women.

“I have seen young girls in our projects who have survived unimaginable trauma be the first to raise their hand and speak up because all they want to do is make sure no other girl experiences what she experienced. Our Mbokodo Club trains and empowers young girls to be incredible change-makers, standing up to GBV, and supporting one another as we change this country for the better,”  says Jessica Dewhurst, Justice Desk CEO.

Launch a campaign on BackaBuddy to support the Justice Desk here:

Email support@backabuddy.co.za for more information.

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