MOSAIC Training and Healing Centre – August 2024

Author: Mosaic

An Evening Celebrating Women’s Resilience and Supporting the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence

Cape Town – MOSAIC Training and Healing Centre marked its 30th anniversary on August 8, with an intimate and impactful fundraising gala, highlighting the organisation's crucial work in combating gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa. The event featured notable figures, including Rachel Kolisi as the guest of honour and keynote speaker, and acclaimed author and poet Lebohang Masango, who captivated the audience with her poignant poetry, drawing powerful parallels between the struggles of the women of 1956 and those faced by women today.

Corporate sponsors and supporters gathered at the event, contributing generously to the cause. Their generous donations signalled a strong commitment to supporting MOSAIC’s mission. Since its inception in November 1993, MOSAIC has been a beacon of hope, providing essential services to over two million survivors of GBV across South Africa.

Advocate Tarisai Mchuchu-MacMillan, MOSAIC’s Executive Director, expressed deep gratitude for the support received, noting, "This milestone is not just a celebration but a call to action. Our campaign, 'Thirty Million for Thirty Years,' aims to ensure that our comprehensive services reach even more survivors in the years to come."

The evening also saw Western Provincial Minister for Social Development, Jaco Londt, underscore the critical role of NGOs in addressing GBV. He emphasised the importance of partnering with civil society organisations like MOSAIC to drive meaningful change and reduce the prevalence of GBV while congratulating the NGO for persevering through the decades. 

Among the distinguished guests were representatives from key organisations, including PenBev, the Groote Schuur Hospital Trust, the Laureus Foundation, The Arc Store, One of Each, and Matthew Copham and Marisia Van Wyk, Elma South Africa, Department of Social Development, NACOSA, Standard Bank, Karuna Foundation’s Marina Busse and Chantel Woodman. 

Rachel Kolisi, CEO of the Kolisi Foundation and a long-standing supporter of MOSAIC, played an instrumental role in ensuring the success of the evening. In her address, she said, “I am very proud to partner with an organisation with a 30 Year solid history of empowering women and changing the narrative of inequality in our country. The Kolisi Foundation is four years old and as a young Foundation we are not trying to reinvent the wheel, so we invest in organisations like MOSAIC who have the reach and ensure that we can partner and align to make people’s lives better”.

From left to right:
Rolene Miller – Founder of MOSAIC, Rachel Kolisi, Ad. Tarisai Mchuchu-MacMillan – Executive Director of MOSAIC. Caroline Peters – Founder and Executive Director of Callas Foundation. Kerryn Rehse – Advocacy and Policy Specialist. Cheryl Harper – We Can Change our World. Ronel E. Stevens – Programmes Director.

Rachel Kolisi, Rozita (survivor and one of the Pieces2Piece sewing ladies who made Rachel and Tarisai’s dresses) and Adv. Tarisai Mchuchu-MacMillan (MOSAIC Executive Director)