The Saartjie Baartman Shelter offers safe accommodation to 22 women and their children (usually anything from 15 - 30 children) for three months at a time. Some women stay for shorter periods. This means that there is a constantly changing population in the Shelter, with resultant heavy wear and tear on its material resources. The Shelter staff feel strongly that the women and children, coming out of abusive and trauma-filled homes, deserve a welcoming, warm and comfortable environment in which to begin their path to healing. The lounge acts as a central meeting point for them, especially in winter, where they can relax with a book, or watch TV or chat to each other. It has become time again to do some refurbishing, particularly to replace the worn and peeling carpet tiles with more durable floor tiles.

The real benefit of these items will be to the women and children in the Shelter, rather than to the organisation itself. It is the policy of the Centre as a whole that the women and children who access our services always come first. Most of the women in the Shelter come from economically deprived homes, where domestic violence, exacerbated by alcohol and drug abuse, has robbed them not only of a loving relationship, but also often of their material possessions. Many women have nothing but the clothes on their backs when they come to the Centre. It means a great deal to them to feel that in the Shelter at least, there is a home away from home, where they can be both safe and comfortable.