THANK YOU GRAIN CARE TRUST

Just a short note to thank you for your kind donation of R10 000 to Matla A Bana - A voice against child abuse. Your contribution will go towards helping one of the many children who reports crimes against them to the police. Last year our projects reached more than 13 800 of these children.

Romans Pizza Slide for a RIGHT

On 17 March MAB will be celebrating Human RIghts Day with a fun event to be hosted at Cool Runnings in Cape Town. Over a 1000 tickets will be given away the next few weeks in exchange for a comfort pack item. Then there is also the Corporate Challege - The RIGHT Place, where companies can dress according to their most important RIGHT. The best team can win fantastic prizes. Radio Tygerberg is the media partner and will also do a live broadcast at the event. Get your entry forms on our website http://www.matlaabana.co.za/.

Update Parow Court

Yesterday we had a very special moment at Parow Court. We were busy painting the walls in the reception area, when two young girls who were waiting for the court offered to help us paint. We do not know what was done to these to beautiful girls, we only know that despite their pain, they were willing to help to make a difference. Let this be an example for all out there!

Project update: Chester House Teddy Donation

The teddy bears that was donated to Parow Court by Chester House was used to give to rape victims at a Christmas party hosted by the court in December. The rest of the bears will be given to children during the court process. Thanx a mil once again Chester House for the wonderful donation!

Thank you TTV Fluval!

Thank you to Frank Ohlsen and his TTV Fluval Group of companies who has donated R60000 towards Matla A Bana again this year!

Ground Patrol visits MAB WC

The KFM Ground Patrol paid a visit to MAB WC office today playing early Father Christmas. The team delivered boxes full of gifts for abused children. Although we were very happy to see the team, we realised that these gifts were going to be given to children who will be abused during a time when other people will celebrate. Thnx KFM and Ground Patrol for your support!

AGM 2011

The MAB AGM 2011 was hosted on 6 Dec 2011 in Gauteng. There was a lot of tears and great joy when many of our sponsors received their Certificates of Recognition. After a drop of more than 200% of donor funding, we have still managed to achieve many great successes! We would like to thank all our adoptive churches, sponsors and volunteers for your support. Also a special word of thanks to Rooi Rose editor, Martie Pansegrouw, for many wise words! See you all again next year!

16 Days of no Violence Against Women and Children

MAB is running 16 seven minute programs on the 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children on Radio Tygerberg. This is the largest community station with more than 500 000 listeners. Monique has done interviews with the police, the NPA, charities working in the field and the listeners will be informed on what to do when in an abuse relationship, where to go for help, where to report child abuse and much more. Thank you to Radio Tygerberg for sponsoring this airtime worth more than R100000.

Thank you Rays of Hope!

Thank you Rays of Hope (Rosebank Union Church) for the donation of R 50 000 towards our Adoption Project. This was raced by a small group of people who either cycled, organised or supported the annual Race of Hope. It was a pleasure partnering with such a great group of people!

Race of Hope sets off

The annual Race of Hope, organised by Rosebank Union Church, of which MAB is one of the beneficiaries has started yesterday. This year idols winner, Elvis Blue, will be cycling (and singing) for charity! MAB will be represented by Paul Van Eeden (husband of project manager, Lizel) and his team of SAPS officers). Good luck guys and enjoy the trip!

Parow Court Update

It has been two months since MAB undertook to assist creating a Child-Friendly Environment at Parow Court. This is a massive task, because the facility has several rooms, waiting areas and a kitchen that needs refurbishment.

We would like to thank the Tygerburger Newspaper for running several stories in this regards. We would also like to thank all the people who phoned, offered help and services and made donations.

Thank you especially to Harvey World Travel Manor for the R10 000 donation received from you.www.travelmanor.co.za


We will keep you posted on the updates - for now we are still waiting for confirmation of a paint donation!

Thanx to Ronel De Jager and her team at the court for the fantastic work you are doing.

Pretoria Central gets a face lift!

Church Without Walls is making the Light shine very brightly in Pretoria Central where they recently upgraded the waiting area of the FCS unit. This area is used by the child and adult victims of rape and abuse.

All the walls were repainted and the old carpets were replaced with beautiful wooden flooring. Apart from this many extras like a TV and DVD machine etc were added.

We would like to thank Church Without Walls and all the volunteers for creating this beautiful environment that will hopefully help minimise the pain and trauma

Beeld story 22 Aug

Milnerton Opening makes the paper

The sign at the door reads, “Children Welcome”. Behind this door is a comfortable room that is brightly decorated and child-friendly. But it’s a room children should never have to visit. It is a state-of-the-art, reporting facility at the Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) at Milnerton police station that was created by the nonprofit organisation, Matla a Bana, to minimise the secondary abuse child victims suffer when reporting crime. The facility has an inviting waiting room, an assessment room with a bed, play area and toys that is linked to a monitoring room by a two-way mirror. It is also equipped with audiovisual recording apparatus.

It’s the fourth of its kind in the Western Cape with a fifth earmarked for Khayelitsha soon. Depending on available facilities at a police station, a room like this could cost between R60 000 and R150 000 to set up. Milnerton is one of 25 FCS units in the Western Cape and the aim is to eventually equip them all with rooms like these, but more sponsorship is needed. Claremont Rotary is their main sponsor, while Shellard Media sponsors the audiovisual equipment. Monique Strydom, founded Matla a Bana in 2002 to “create a voice against child abuse”. It is managed by the Callie and Monique Strydom Charity Trust, which was founded soon after she and her husband, Callie, survived a four month hostage ordeal at the hands of Abu Sayyaf rebels in Jolo, Philippines for four months in 2000.

She said August 27 marked 11 years of freedom for her, and recalled the impact the gang rape of two fellow female hostages had on them despite the rebels’ promise that they would never kill or rape the women, but rather use them as “instruments”. She equated the fear they were left with to the fear children face when abused by adults who were meant to protect them. Despite the challenges in prevention, she applauded the police for the work they did in combating child abuse crimes. She encouraged people to report these crimes and said they needed to establish more “faith and trust in children coming to SAPS.”

“We can work together as a community. This facility is purely for victims. Police investigate and make arrests. They are not here to look after the victim. That’s why we are here to do this. This facility will help get disclosure.” Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Arno Lamoer said crime reports were never easy to digest. Referring to a horrific case of violence in a home he said, “Thirty years and it still shocks me.” He called for communities to mobilise and take care of children with the same vigour with which they mobilised themselves against apartheid. He said all parents wanted freedom for their children, but that one of the biggest prisons could be the home where children grew up. He encouraged sponsors to come forward to invest in projects of this nature. “We can spend millions on wars but unless we invest in our children we will never survive. All great men were children once. We must give them an opportunity.”

Matla a Bana runs numerous soft skills training programmes for the police. They also train doctors to do expert forensic medical examinations and train and equip forensic social workers. Visit www.matlaabana.co.za or call 021 913 9107 to find out more about their projects and if you want to offer sponsorships. Keep kids out of this room.

Pam Fourie (Tabletalk Newspaper)

Gauteng doctors trained

Congratulations to the group of doctors and FCS members who completed the Forensic Medical Examination and Expert Witnessing Course hosted by MAB in Gauteng in June. Thank you also to Dr Tromp Els, the NPA and Old Mutual Foundation for making this training possible.