Monica Horn is a mother figure to 18 women and 20 children at the Dusk to Dawn shelter for abused women and children in Ravensmead, Cape Town.
A social worker by profession, Monica says that she had a calling to open the facility when she worked at Care Haven, a shelter in Athlone, Cape Town. As this shelter was based in the southern suburbs, many women from the northern suburbs had to travel to get the assistance that they needed and Monica felt that women in the northern suburbs needed a place of safety too.
“In 2004 my hard work and determination paid off, I opened the doors of Dusk to Dawn, a centre of hope where many women would receive the help that they needed” said Monica.
“At the time, the shelter had the basic necessities, however my biggest challenge was to provide the malnourished, destitute women and children with sufficient, nutritious food”. In an effort to address this challenge, she called FoodBank SA who did not hesitate to assist.
Nedbank SA also holds an annual golfing event to raise funds for a number of worthy causes across South Africa such as FoodBank SA. Thanks to Nedbank SA’s support, Monica is able to feed what she calls “her family” three wholesome meals every day.
“Women and their children show up at my door battered, bruised, ill and often starving, and the food helps nurse them back to health”, said Monica.
The centre is more than just a safe haven, Monica strives to inspire the women to better themselves through education. She encourages women to complete their matric and develop skills such as baking and hairdressing at community skills development centres to ensure that they have brighter futures ahead of them.