Dear Jes Foord foundation Family
I would love to share a little something special with you that would not have been made possible without you.
On Mandela day (18/07/13) you set us up a beautiful garden at the Umbilo SAPS Victim Support Centre pouring your blood, sweat and tears into it.
After a successful day, we arrived the next morning with such delight to walk down our beautiful new path into the centre. Everyday we admire it and watch it grow. Today, we received a visit from province. Two members came into the vsc to see the progress and were so delighted and couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful the garden is. They were so encouraged that they wanted us to do the front of Umbilo Police Station. We were so happy about their response we ended up feeling very smug about the vsc progress.
This week we received a victim of abuse. She has been a victim of abuse over the past 10 years. Upon concluding police procedures and counselling, I went off to photo copy some documents and came back to find her sitting in the garden. I asked her if everything was alright and she said she was just admiring how beautiful it is. Again today, a pregnant lady came in. She was
9 months, due any day and a victim of crime. After we spoke for awhile she asked if she could go outside. Once outside she explained that she feels so calm in the garden she wanted to spend some time there. Our beautiful garden seems to have such a calming effect on these victims in which the feel rejuvenated and completely relaxed. I cannot explain how much we truly appreciate it and what a positive impact it has on every person who spends time in it.
One more thing I would like to share is on the comfort packs you donate to the vsc for the victims. We give the victims these packs and they are so grateful and when they leave they take a peak inside. We always explain that someone out there cares for them even though they don’t know who they are. I knew these packs gave them a sense of hope as I could see it in their faces but I didn’t know how much until recently. A lady came in who had been raped, she was given a pack after counselling and while she waited for FCS (specialized saps unit for rape victims) she looked through the bag. She looked up at me and burst into tears. She said that no one had ever given her such a special gift. The hope I saw in her eyes after that was really touching. These gifts you give to everyone of our victims makes them feel like the community cares, it restores that sense of hope that once was lost and it helps them to feel that there is life after rape.
You are a very special team, everyone of you change lives on such a large scale. We are very blessed to have met and work with such an amazing team.
THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts.
Kathryn and Bev
(Umbilo Saps vsc)
Before
After