UCT’s CMC participates in team building with a difference

“The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.” – Helen Keller 

With Keller’s words as inspiration and while keeping the spirit of ubuntu top of mind, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Connect Meet Collaborate (CMC) team – the institution’s professional conference organiser – spent a morning at the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children (SBCWC) to understand the organisation’s work and the difference it makes in the lives of abused women and children in Cape Town.

Located in Manenberg on the Cape Flats, the centre is the country’s first multi-disciplinary organisation that prioritises abused women and children. It provides a 24-hour shelter, short- and medium-term residential care, as well as counselling and mental health support to vulnerable women and children. Ultimately, the centre aims to empower them to become better versions of themselves, and its list of programmes, including the on-site job skills training programme, helps them do that. The SBCWC’s vision is to help build a safe and secure society for women and children and to nurture a culture where they feel empowered to exercise their human rights. 

“It was such an enriching experience being there and learning about the wonderful, impactful work that the Saartjie Baarman Centre for Women and Children carries out in our communities. We left feeling truly enriched and immensely grateful for their contribution to the lives of the many abused women and children they serve,” said CMC manager, Deidre Raubenheimer.

A team-building activity with a difference

She said the perpetual scourge of gender-based violence runs deep in South Africa and is the main reason the team chose to visit the centre. They wanted to gain firsthand insight into the centre’s work, the challenges the organisation faces, and provide a helping hand.

“We gained a much deeper understanding of the centre’s operations and the challenges they face, and this evoked a strong sense of empathy.”

So, instead of visiting a games arcade, or having lunch at a garden restaurant, the CMC made the SBCWC the venue for their latest team-building activity. And they did not arrive empty handed. Raubenheimer said they donated care packs, which have been described as an ongoing need when women and children arrive at the centre with nothing in hand – wearing only the clothes on their backs. In addition, she said, the university’s Commercial Development Department also donated bed linen, toasters and cutlery.

“While the act of donating supplies was undeniably rewarding, we gained a much deeper understanding of the centre’s operations and the challenges they face, and this evoked a strong sense of empathy,” she said. “We have plans to return later in the year to assist where we can with both manpower and additional supplies.”