Johannesburg – Thusanang Trauma Centre, a Lichtenburg- based non-government organisation (NGO) in the North West, is a beneficiary of funding from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC).
The organisation empowers the victims of abuse through psychosocial support and counselling.
The counsellors at Thusanang Trauma Centre take it upon themselves to accompany the victims of abuse attend court cases in a show of support and to offer hope.
After their grant was paid, the NLC conducted a site visit at the organisation’s premises in February to establish if the NGO utilized funding in line with the signed grant agreement.
The visit was also meant to capacitate the NGO and introduce the NLC’s monitoring and evaluation tool for the collection of beneficiaries’ data and impact assessment.
The monitoring team found that the NGO was well run and recommended that the entity be considered for further funding.
An observation was made by the monitoring officials that:
“Consultation take place in a good environment. The operations run smoothly as the errands are done accordingly, and that there is a high level of professionalism in the organisation.”
Christinah Pretorius, the founder and project manager of Thusanang Trauma Centre, says: “As Thusanang Trauma Centre, we believe that prevention and reduction of crime is more important than reacting to crime. “It is therefore imperative to deter crime rather than to sit, wait and only react after crime has been committed.
“The awareness campaign is a tool that is used by the organisation for crime prevention.”
In addition to the services rendered, members of the NGO believe that it is imperative to be involved in crime-prevention programmes.
“The centre conducts door-to-door campaigns, awareness campaigns and presentations at schools as a way of educating people on how to protect themselves against crime and violence, and the importance of reporting cases of crime,” says the centre’s project manager.
Pretorius says the NLC’s cash injection made it possible for the organisation to own a building, helping the project to run effectively.
“The funding received from the NLC also covers operational costs such as water, electricity, transport and catering for the victims. The organisation managed to buy a Hyundai H1 bus that is used to transport the victims and to conduct door-to-door campaigns.
“The volunteers are also motivated to render services to the community members as they receive a stipend from the NLC funding.” Thusanang also aims to empower the victims of abuse and communities by encouraging them to speak out about any form of violence.
“We provide advocacy by facilitating and ensuring that cases of domestic violence are reported, as we assist victims of violence and accompany them everytime they attend court cases.
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