Gill Hammond is handy with a carpenter’s set square, saw, hammer and nails. At Othandweni, Domino’s women’s shelter for survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking where she is manager, there was a shortage of shelving.
Nothing daunted, Gill turned her woodworking skills to good use and knocked up a shelving unit. Domino’s Red Light programme had no funds for storage in Othandweni’s garage.
Every time stock came into the shelter, heavy boxes had to be manhandled to make space, and getting to a box at the bottom of the pile was a challenge, and then the shelter received a donation of ullage sticks. The timber wasn’t ideal and wouldn’t have been strong enough to carry the weight of the boxes without Gill’s very practical and creative bent. The storage system Gill designed and put together has made the intimidating job of tackling a mini-mountain of boxes a thing of the past.
Gill believes that the beneficiaries on Domino’s Red Light programme have seen how self-help solved the storage challenge as she measured, measured again, and then sawed, assembled and finally nailed together the new functional furniture solution.
“We are not only involved with restoration and healing the broken lives of the people in our small community of up to 12 survivors and those who work with them. We also aim to empower them with a range of skills so that they are confident about stepping into a new life when they leave us.”
The residents are taught to steward whatever they have in their hands and do that well. “To do it to the best standard possible honours God and He, in turn, will honour the effort and bless the doer,” Gill explained, adding that overcoming the victim mentality is critical. It will be important for the beneficiaries of the programme to know that, after they leave Othandweni, often they themselves will have the answer to the inevitable challenges they will encounter without looking for someone else to come to their aid.
Gill’s last comment was that the in-kind donation of the wood was worth around R15 000. “All we had to spend was R100 on screws,” she said, adding, “and with the timber left over, I’m about to make a monkey-proof cabinet for our dustbins as those little imps are forever making a mess in the garden and on the street when we put our bags out!”
