Supporting People When They Need It Most
The Open Door Crisis Care Centre has provided a place of safety, counseling and practical support to vulnerable people since 1997. Based in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, the organisation assists people facing domestic violence, abuse, human trafficking and other serious personal crises.
Its services include professional counselling, social support, assistance for survivors of gender-based violence, therapy for traumatised children, community outreach and access to safe accommodation when required.
For the Saxby family, the relationship with The Open Door is more than simply that of a Foundation and a beneficiary.
Over the years, The Open Door has been there for members of the wider family during difficult times. The family has seen first-hand the value of having a trusted organisation available when someone is vulnerable and needs compassionate, professional support.
That history made the opportunity to support The Open Door particularly meaningful. Having once experienced the value of the organisation’s work from the other side, the family is grateful to now be in a position, through the Roger & Beryl Saxby Foundation, to help support the work financially.
Before funding was considered, members of the family visited The Open Door, met its leadership and staff, and spent time understanding the work being done. The organisation’s combination of immediate crisis intervention and longer-term support strongly resonated with the Foundation.
Helping someone through a crisis is important, but The Open Door’s work goes further. Its aim is to help people regain safety, dignity and the confidence to rebuild their lives.
That practical approach is closely aligned with the philosophy Roger and Beryl Saxby lived by. Compassion should meet the immediate need, but wherever possible it should also help create a path forward.
Supporting The Open Door is therefore both an investment in important community work and, for the family, a small opportunity to give something back to an organisation that has itself been there when it was needed.