Safe Space is a Non-Profit Company that is determined to fight Gender-Based Violence by creating social awareness through user-based incident reporting. Founders Nakita Naee'lah Dellwaria and Chloe Homer are professionals in the field, who have worked with, and been survivors themselves of GBV.
Safe Spaces new website will serve as an early warning system, “Our newly built website will serve as an early warning system to prevent womxn and the LGBTIQA+ community from being in Gender-Based Violence hot spots”.
Upon the site, will also be access to various resources to help combat GBV in South Africa. They consist of; emergency contact details, self-defence training, shelter databases and a lot more. Their vision is simple, to create a safe place for all Womxn and members of the LGBTIQA+ community.
Where and how did Safe Space start?
As a concept, Safe Space started in Johannesburg shortly after Uyinene Mrwetyana’s death in August 2019. Co-Funding Directors Nakita Naee’lah Dellwaria and Chloe Homer registered a Non-Profit Company less than 1 year later and launched the Safe Space NPC on the 24 August 2020.
Why did we create Safe Space?
Both myself and the other co-founding director Chloe Homer have worked in the Gender-Based Violence sphere for the past 5 years at a local government level and have thus seen a paucity of tangible solutions to GBV. We have seen that GBV is always met with outrage after an incident has occurred. It was, therefore, important for us to explore prevention techniques to ensure that we could use the only thing we have control over; taking responsibility for our own safe spaces.
When was it first launched?
24 August 2020, to commemorate 19-Year-old Uyinene Mrwetyana’s death in a Post Office in Claremont, Cape Town in 2019.
How has it been so far?
The website has gained significant traction. We having been using the reports from the incidents created on the website in order to rehabilitate these hotspots.
Has Covid Affected your Safe Space?
Yes and No. Covid affected the organization’s end result, which is the rehabilitation of GBV hotspots through chalking events. These events entail choosing a GBV prevalent public area to create a visual representation of a Safe Space through non-abrasive methods of chalking. Due to social distancing, in order to keep safe, our crowd numbers had to be limited to covid regulations. Covid, however, has not affected the daily running and reach that the website ensues.
Where do you see yourself in a few years?
To strengthen the fight against Gender-Based Violence by preventing the incidences that women can avoid in known GBV hotspots. Holistic empowerment through creating of safe spaces in one's mind, home, and society. We see ourselves having created a hub of resources for women faced with GBV incidences and a company that accredits institutions, private companies, restaurants, and public spaces for their involvement in the creation of Safe Spaces for women and other vulnerable groups.
How has the response been since Safe Space started?
The response from the public has been phenomenal, as well as from the various partners who have come on board because they believe in Safe Space’s Vision and Mission. We have been working with various levels of stakeholders to ensure that Safe Space changes lives, in small and big ways.
What are your Super Powers?
We are Women. Our NPC is founded and run by powerful, proud females. As women, we share the experiences in our lives as a collective body, and it is, therefore, important to ensure that we will create Safe Spaces for our sisters as we would create them for ourselves.
What do you love about Africa?
There is a lesson that can be drawn from every African woman. We are resilient. We are rich in culture and tradition. We are strong and soft. We are determined and resourceful. We raise nations.
To learn about more, or to support Safe Space, give them a follow and see when the next Chalk it up event is!
