Bet Sheekoom - House of Restoration

Kaycee catches up with the Founder and Chairperson, Gary Koekemoer :

Bet Sheekoom is derived from a Hebrew word meaning restoration, and for thousands of women that is exactly what Bet Sheekoom is. A haven dedicated to assisting destitute, abandoned, or abused women and their children in times of crisis.
Bet Sheekoom has been a safe haven for women who find themselves trapped in abusive environments, since 2001.

At Bet Sheekoom we strive to awaken hope, rebuild lives, and restore families by empowering women. Our outreach programmes offer guidance to women on the street who need assistance to leave a life of sex work, domestic violence, substance, and sexual abuse.

Bet Sheekoom offers an holistic approach which aims to achieve physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being via counselling, skills development, the necessary medical treatments required and healthy support groups.

Women of any age, race, faith, or socio-economic background are welcome to take refuge for as long as it takes them to become restored and equipped to start a new life of their own. Bet Sheekoom works with referrals from the SAPS, Social Development, and the Rape Crises Centre. Bet Sheekoom is also registered with TIP (Trafficking in Persons) and the NFN (National Freedom Movement.)

OUR MISSION :

To assist women and girls with children in crises by giving them an alternative to the abusive environment that they find themselves trapped in; to offer them a place of safety, and to reach out to girls on the street who need assistance to leave the life of drugs, sex work and abuse. To care for these ladies' spiritual, physical, and emotional needs, while empowering them through training. To assist in integrating them back into society and to make a positive contribution. To restore family ties by reuniting family members and uplifting their circumstances to enable them to become self-sufficient.

OUR VISION :

To create a home, on a small holding to house 20 or more women and their children in a tranquil, yet secure environment far enough away from the danger of abuse and drugs, yet near enough to areas where the women can find employment for themselves and schooling for their children.
To offer an onsite play school where children can be supervised while mothers are working or studying. A place where skills can be learned and wholeness can be achieved. The dream is that the home becomes self-sufficient, where we can grow up leaders amongst them to take the role of supervising other newcomers to the home.

We are so blessed that Mastertons Coffee & Tea Specialists are collecting donations for our organisation throughout Women’s Month.

Enjoy a free delicious cappuccino for your donation and tag us in your posts.