Martin Luther King had a dream.
So did Thora Mansfield when she founded The Open Door Crisis Care Centre in 1997.
The Open Door Crisis Care Centre is a well established counselling,training and advisory centre. It is a safe haven where people across all sectors of the community can find compassion,understanding and assistance when they need it most – in times of crisis. Operating from two tiny storerooms at the request of the local South African Police Services in an attempt to combat the effects of rape,domestic violence and crime related incidents,The Open Door Crisis Care Centre’s growth has been phenomenal. To date,The Open Door Crisis Care Centre operates from a 30 roomed house which includes an HIV/AIDS clinic,play therapy room for traumatised children,training room,office space and 10 counselling rooms. With our main centre in Pinetown,KwaZulu-Natal,we have two further centres in Hammarsdale and Mariannridge.
In addition to counselling and support The Open Door Crisis Care Centre runs a shelter,Ikhaya Le Themba,for abused women and vulnerable children.
Counselling is offered 6 days a week and The Open Door Crisis Care Centre operates a 24 hour,365 days a year crisis line service.
To date,we have offered these services to over 40,000 men,women and children. This figure multiplied by a family unit shows our work directly and indirectly has impacted on over 160,000 people – not only in our immediate surroundings but throughout the Ethekwini Municipal boundaries and further afield and as far as Port Shepstone and Richards Bay,through telephonic assistance and referrals to other relevant service providers. No man,woman or child is ever turned away –that is our commitment.
Mission Statement
The mission of The Open Door Crisis Care Centre is to:
- restore hope and healing to men,women and children who have suffered as a result of crisis and trauma;
- serve the people of the Ethekwini Municipality and well beyond its boundaries regardless of race,religion,social standing and cultural differences;
- provide and sustain an advice desk,trauma and counselling centre,HIV/AIDS clinic as well as a shelter for abused women,vulnerable children and abandoned babies;
- offer training and upliftment programmes to work towards the empowerment of people in need.
Structure
The Open Door Crisis Care Centre is a registered trust organisation. It is managed by a Board of professional persons. The Open Door Crisis Care Centre is run by a dedicated team of full time employees (under the leadership of Thora Mansfield),who are supported by more than 50 volunteers,who offer counselling,training and other imperative roles. The counselling and training provided by our committed team offers a holistic structure for those in need in times of crisis.
Finance
The Open Door Crisis Care Centre is a non-profit,interdenominational,organisation. Much of its funding is received in the form of donations from local businesses,individuals,churches and fundraising events. As the need for our services grows,so does our need for additional funding. To maintain current service levels and to expand our operations to meet the ever growing demand for our assistance,it is essential that we maintain a regular,predictable and sustainable income. To this end,we invite membership from individuals,trusts,corporate entities,church groups and medical,legal and educational bodies.
The Open Door Crisis Care Centre is a registered Non-Profit Organisation (NPO No. 005-920). Donations are tax exempt.
Shelter (Ikhaya La Themba)
Our shelter,able to accommodate 15 abused women and vulnerable children,is a registered safe house with the Department of Welfare,offering shelter for up to three months. Emergency accommodation is also available to abandoned babies and children,often HIV positive and young teenage girls facing unwanted pregnancies and forced abortions. The programme is managed by our social worker,professional nurse and housemother. Other services offered at Ikhaya La Themba include:
- Legal placements to foster care through social welfare;
- Referral to place of safety and institutions;
- Court preparation.
- A life skills programme is being developed to include bag making and beadwork.
Hammarsdale “Oumnyango Ovuliewe”
Situated in a rural area where there a few clinics,schools,shopping or recreation facilities this community is desperately in need of support,social services and a crisis centre. The community leaders have indentified rape,abuse,all forms of violence and HIV/AIDS as the major problems. The Open Door Crisis Care Centre has trained 20 men and women as crisis counsellors and our new crisis centre opened in 2007.
Mariannridge
60 men and women from all sectors of the community have been trained through The Open Door Crisis Care Centre to deal with issues as identified by the people in this predominantly Coloured area. Operating from eight rooms manned by voluntary workers and supervised by our intern social workers,new life skill programmes are being introduced in the schools and crèches.
