Cape Forum plants living monument for female victims of violence in Mossel Bay

This week, the civil rights organisation Cape Forum, in collaboration with Green for Live, the Mossel Bay Community Soup Kitchen and the Mossel Bay Municipality, planted 50 indigenous and fruit trees as a living monument for female victims of gender-based violence at a sports ground in Highway Park, Mossel Bay. A group of women, who themselves were also victims of gender-based violence, helped to plant these trees as part of a wider campaign about violence against women.

This project was done in collaboration with Jan Odendaal from the organisation Green for Live, a partner of Cape Forum. William Sam, an ex-soldier and local community leader who runs a soup kitchen and feeds thousands of needy Mossel Bay residents – nearly 70% of whom are children – also took part in this project.

According to Bernard Pieters, Manager of Community Activation at Cape Forum, in addition to focusing on female victims of violence, the organisation also has a specific focus on schools and breaking the cycle of poverty. “The secret to breaking the cycle of poverty lies in quality education, good values, discipline and skills that children must learn in school. However, it remains an undisputed fact that these matters will not be a priority for a hungry child. That is why nutrition forms an important theme in Cape Forum’s education initiatives,” says Pieters.

“It was pleasant to see how many women from the community attended the event. It is proof of the urgency in taking on issues such as violence and poverty in the community. Cape Forum will continue to not only tackle projects like this, but also take in a firm stand against gender-based violence,” says Pieters.

Meanwhile, a letter was also sent to the Department of Correctional Services in which the department was requested to make five prisoners available on a weekly basis to work in the garden where the trees were planted and help take care of it.

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