A small, white building with the words 'SAFE PLACE' painted on it, surrounded by a high barbed-wire fence. There is a gate and a covered porch area, with wooden supports. The area appears to be a secured outdoor space.

Genesis SafePlace

Safe Place aims to holistically bring change to our community by eliminating fear of violence and empowering leadership and community

Our Mission

SafePlace is working to meet the need of an immediate place of safety for vulnerable people in communities around the Port Shepstone area. Many of the people we serve are victims of abuse, gender-based violence, rape, and sexual assault.

Our goal is to provide immediate physical safety in our secure units, emotional safety provided by our trained site managers and security guards and to begin to walk the road of healing for those who have experienced trauma. We set up Safe Place Units in close proximity (within 1km) of rural and underserved communities. These Safe Place sites act as an immediate place of safety for vulnerable people in those communities around the Port Shepstone area.

SafePlace is a ‘run-to’ facility located in close proximity to the community, aimed at facilitating a place of refuge that people who are under threat of, or have been subject to an act of violence, can secure transitional safety. SafePlace recognises the need to start doing things differently in order to facilitate addressing the injustice issues to at-risk women, youth, and children in particular. It aims to complement the legal and conciliatory process, by providing a mechanism for at-risk community members to escape threatening situations.

What is SafePlace?

A woman in black blazer and pants standing outside a gated area with barbed wire on top. She is holding the gate handle. Inside the gate, there is a small structure with a sign that says 'GUEST PLACE' and a red arrow pointing upwards. There is a black dog sitting behind the gate and several tall palm trees in the background under a blue sky.

The SafePlace run-to facilities have been strategically placed outside schools in the community, for people to become aware of the facility and to partner with schools in their effectiveness. The facility units are safe lock-up facility for victims and are manned by Site Overseers or Social Workers. Each facility is monitored by visual/audio technology and is kept under surveillance. At-risk women, children and youth are be able to run to the facility and be held in transition in a lock-up room until such time they are safely transported either by the ambulance, police or armed response security service to the relevant facility for their needs to be attended to.

How does it impact communities?

A woman wearing a face mask holding a handmade doll with dark skin, black yarn hair, embroidered facial features, and a dress with a blue bow.

How it Works

Icon of a shield with a checkmark in the center, representing security or protection.

SafePlace units have a lock-up facility, surrounded by security fences and slam lock doors in order to assist someone quickly and securely.

Line drawing of two hands holding each other.

A trained, female site manager is on duty at night. Our Social Workers are on-call for tele-help and units are monitored by audio/visual technology with additional security on-call.

Icons of three people inside a house with a checkmark, representing family or home safety.

Each unit has a trauma-informed Safe Space room for a victim to be safely held in until he/she can be transported to the relevant hospital or police facility for their needs to be attended to.

Children sitting at a wooden table drawing and coloring pictures of girls, with various art supplies around them.

Genesis SafePlay

Each Unit has its own version of Safe Play that uniquely finds ways to engage with the youth who live nearby, providing after school homework, activities and sports - and whatever means necessary to keep our youth away from the negative influences of drug and alcohol abuse and to help them to break the cycles of abuse, within their own families and communities.

Through Bible Study, Book Club, our Soccer and Wave of Hope Surf Academies, our Genesis Hope SA team is able to connect and impact the lives of our youth. In addition to our Safe Play staff, a member of our Social Services team is always on hand if a child needs to talk or disclose anything to an adult.

Who we Are

Children sitting around a wooden table outdoors, coloring on small paper cutouts with crayons. There is a blue plastic basket filled with crayons on the table.

Safe Play is also a vital way for our team to get to know those in the community by doing house visits, fun days, holiday and after school programmes.

Journey with us as Safe Place grows...

For more information contact Zanele:

zinhle@genesishope.co.za

083 949 8986

A group of children gathered outdoors under a tree, some sitting and some standing, with a soccer field in the background.

The word "Inspoled" written in red cursive script on a black background.

How to get

“One survivor means one happy home”

Help us to help them, remember not everyone victim readily shares their traumatic experiences with anyone. One survivor means one happy home, one happy home means one happy community. They are victims without us and together we can change them to be survivors.