WOW founder questions validity of women’s month celebrations

“HOW do we celebrate women’s month when we’re facing the plight of women and children in the community? After the fun and festivities, what happens to the women, children and their issues?”

A dismayed Patricia Dove, founder of the Wentworth Organisation of Women (WOW), who is constantly overwhelmed with cases of dysfunctional families, women’s socio-economic issues, inadequate housing and child safety, questioned the validity of the celebration of women when they are faced with so many issues.

READ: WOW shares valuable advice in 67 minutes

The issue of inadequate housing and overcrowding remains a central problem in the community of Wentworth. During the interview, Patricia was attending to the case of a mother of six children, who lives with her and her sister’s children in a small house. The woman, who is unemployed, is also expecting her first grandchild this month.

“The baby is going to be born into a house with practically no space. The family is trying to figure out where they are going to put the baby because the home is just so overcrowded. I’ve also been overwhelmed with working on a case which is being handled by the Wentworth police, involving a homeless woman. If the neighbours don’t give her a place to stay for the night, she is outside. She is one of many who have been thrown out their homes due to drug abuse, resulting in an altercation with her family. She has been placed in Westville prison for domestic violence because of all the fighting,” she said.

Patricia painted a vivid picture of the destruction that plagues the community and noted that neglect, broken families, sexual and child abuse and minor criminal activities left unattended manifest into bigger issues at individual and community level. She said these have become monstrous tasks to reverse.

“It is a huge challenge for us to successfully help women and their families. As women, must we really celebrate when all this is happening?”

She has pleaded with government institutions such as the departments of social development and human settlements, to assist NGOs such as WOW to help women around housing issues and domestic violence.

“There is too much red tape when one tries to reach out to these departments and this makes it difficult to get assistance. When women find themselves embattled with these issues, the only shelter we have in this ward is at the Wentworth Victim Friendly Centre and even they can only accommodate six women at a time. When that place is full, they’re unable to help the rest. Children are also in distress with all the negativity they are brought into. Most times, underprivileged mothers have to go to sit in the parks, such as Rooks Road Park, with their children for most of the day because the lack of space in the home doesn’t allow them to do their motherly duties,” she said.

“My mother had 12 children. Because of how I grew up, also in a little home, and although we were very poor, the difference was that we had warmth and love. I want that for our community and I won’t give up until I have exhausted all efforts to bring that happiness to these families,” she said.

READ: Founder of WOW shines as a beacon of hope

Patricia works closely with child welfare at WOW and strongly believes that children should be raised by and remain with their parents in a healthy and safe environment. She and her dedicated team of powerful women receive new cases each day and work through them with tenacity worthy of recognition. They fight for what seems like an endless battle against the demise of about 4 000 Wentworth and Merebank families for many years and refuse to back down.

The WOW Centre is situated at 221 Austerville Drive and can be contacted on 063-977-0217.

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