Operation Bobbi Bear - Helping sexually abused children
Keeping their doors open this year has been their hardest challenge.
The year has been absolutely hard for so many organisations and businesses. But NGOs have it triple times harder as they have to operate solely from donations and the contributions of stakeholders.
One of the NGOs that is having a hard time currently is the organisation in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal - Operation Bobbi Bear.
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They are an organisation that has been operating for more than 21 years, led by Eureka Olivier. She shared how it has been an extremely hard year for her and the rest of the team. More especially for the children they have brought in from these unsafe spaces they had been in.
South Africa is in dire need of more spaces like Operation Bobbi Bear because in the past nine years, reported cases of child sexual abuse has increased by over 400%. In our province, it is estimated that 51% of adults between 16 and 45 years are HIV+. Since this is the perpetrator age group for sexual abuse, child victims are at risk of contracting HIV.
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On their website, they further explain their objectives for the organisation to collaborate and assist the criminal justice system to ensure the rights and safety of the child victim of sexual abuse. There are so many charge dockets which go missing or are incomplete due to language barriers (we have 11 official languages in South Africa, after all). The loss of facts results in cases being refused to be heard in a court of law, and the perpetrators of the crimes walk free.
Take a look at the first part of the interview with Eureka Olivier:
Take a listen as Eureka further describes the organisation's struggles during this time.
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As The Big Favour, we hope to connect Operation Bobbi Bear with the willing and capable stakeholders who will help us collectively find justice for the children and, most importantly, educate them on the difference between a 'good touch' and a 'bad touch'.
This is how you can make your contribution:
Bobbi Bear Fund
Cheque Account
First National Bank, Amanzimtoti
Account: 620 1861 9471
Brand Code: 250 655
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Main Image Courtesy: Tshego Ntshabeleng