MOSSEL BAY NEWS - An attorney who specialises in family law, Elize Fourie-Hendry, launched an awareness campaign to collect teddies and soft toys for abused children who have to give evidence in courts in the Garden Route and surrounding areas. 

The campaign was done in collaboration with Janine Kilian, the owner of JK Line Dance, a line dancing school in Reebok, outside Mossel Bay. 

Exceeded expectations

“The community’s response exceeded all our expectations and we nearly tripled our initial target of toys to be collected,” said Elize. 

"The teddies and soft toys were collected by the JK Line Dancers from their own homes, families, friends, neighbours and businesses and handed in at line dance classes." 

A four-hour line dance social evening was also hosted by JK Line Dance and toys were donated at that event. 

More than 600 teddies, soft toys 

Through the campaign, more than 600 teddies and soft toys were collected. 

The teddies and toys are being donated to the intermediaries at courts to use in their work with abused children in order to comfort the children when they have to give evidence in courts, Elize said. 

Intermediary

The job of an intermediary is "to convey the evidence-related questions from the prosecution, the defence or the magistrate to the child witness or a witness with a mental disability, in a manner which is sensitive and understandable to the witness", according to the Department of Justice (www.justice.gov. za). 

Elize said the toys would go to courts in Riversdale, Mossel Bay, George, Knysna, Oudtshoorn and as far as Beauford West and Ladismith. 

Report child abuse 

The aim was also to raise awareness of child abuse in communities so that people reported child abuse, she said. 

For more information, contact Elize (082 372 5535 or elizefh@gmail.com). A woman involved in the teddy collection project, who works as a court transcriber and must attend child abuse cases, said the JK Line Dancers are "an amazing group of people and generous to a fault". 

Insight

She said that from court, she had an insight into the trauma children suffered and she cried over child abuse cases. 

"These teddies will make a difference in children's lives and have a huge impact." 

She said there had also been cash donations, so more teddies could be bought, bringing the total to more than 600.

Janine Kilian of JK Line Dance (left) hands over the donation of teddies to Liesle Mayedwa (court manager), Mariana Jansen van Rensburg (intermediary), Ongezwa Fihlani (court preparation officer) and Magistrate Ezra Morrison (Children’s Court) at the Mossel Bay Magistrate's Court

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