NPC uplifts vulnerable women
Get Up Woman is a social initiative, started by Gigi in March 2016 when she closed her hairdressing salon after about 20 years.
GIGI White (39) believes that helping vulnerable women is her calling. She is the founder of Get Up Woman, a non-profit company (NPC) that mainly focuses on vulnerable women and children.
Gigi chose the name as she wanted it to be almost a command to women to get up and do something.
Get Up Woman is a social initiative, started by Gigi in March 2016 when she closed her hairdressing salon after about 20 years.
While serving women as a hairdresser, she realised that women struggled with obstacles daily. This spurred her into action to start a support group which grew to over 38 000 women worldwide.
Not only did her interaction with women trigger a passion to establish her NPC, but her heartfelt experience of her upbringing.
For many years, Gigi was molested as a child by a family member.
She also found herself in an abusive relationship in her early adulthood.
Gigi has won numerous awards for being a stand-up woman for the rights of others.
Get Up Woman’s members mostly come from backgrounds of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
Gigi, who is originally from Verwoerdpark, empowers women through her NPC with programmes that her members participate in. They offer courses to the women, free of charge and for two weeks at a time.
About Get Up Woman
They interview women asking for assistance, assess their needs, coordinate courses and functions at the Johannesburg South centre and through social media.
They organise tactical teams, counsellors, donors and instructors, collect and coordinate collections of donations to help women.
“We attempt to be present at every court case where victims and their families need support. Or where a presence outside will draw attention to bail applications or parole hearings of perpetrators,” Gigi said.
They run various workshops at their centre, a space rented to house the NPO.
Such workshops include a Rape Crisis Centre which assists women and children in building their confidence and independence.
How they offer help
On the Facebook group, women are assisted daily with their rights to open cases, get protection orders, receive maintenance, and empower them on their rights.
They offer a long-term plan for women who need to get out of abusive relationships and assist in the implementation of independence.
Gigi White, commented: “I am ordained for what I do for the people. We operate both nationally and internationally. I use my network of contacts to reach people where possible.”
Among other things, women are also taken through on job placement skills such as how to write a CV and interview skills.
The NPO mostly relies on donations and volunteer work offered by members from all walks of life.
Some statistics given by Get Up Woman
• One out of five South African women is in an abusive relationship.
• Every eight hours a woman is killed by her current or former partner.
• Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is the most common form of violence experienced by South African women and is the leading cause of death.
• Every four seconds a woman is raped in South Africa.
• 18 per cent of women experience intimate partner rape on one or more occasion.
Their current needs
Their courses are designed to stimulate women emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually over a two-week period.
They accommodate up to 15 ladies per course, with each course costing an estimated R10 000.
This covers lunch, stationery, craft supplies and transport for the ladies over a two-week period, of which, they run two per month.
The centre’s rent each month costs R9 500.
“We are in dire need of laptops to offer to the women that attend these programmes.
“We would love to eventually have enough so each of the 15 ladies attending can work on their own.
“We are also in need of bursaries, learnerships and short courses for the ladies who show passion and interest in various fields,” she concluded.
Those interested in joining the NPC or for any queries, may contact Gigi on 072 823 2785 or on Facebook on Get Up Woman NPC.
