Human Rights Office, Projects and Progress

Lavender Hill

As well as the consultations conducted within the office, PAHRO offers a mobile legal services clinic every Tuesday in Lavender Hill, a town in the Cape Flats which includes an informal settlement community. This informal settlement suffers from high unemployment; HIV infection rates, crime, drug abuse, and violence- especially gender based, family, and child abuse. Projects Abroad works with the Philisa Abafazi Bethu Organization to provide numerous resources that are not available to the people of Lavender Hill, specifically those who are victims of crime and violence. Founder and director, Lucinda Evans has a passion for this organization that is palpable and infectious to volunteers. Working with Lavender Hill is a true demonstration of the daily frustrations and difficulties that people in these settlements live with and the need to provide help. We also offer legal services to abused women in terms of interpreting their final divorce orders; assisting with maintenance and other civil claims as well a protection orders. All volunteers have the option of taking part in these consultations in the community and it is a great way to assist those who are in need of assistance but are unable to get to our office.

This project is based in the Lavender Hill area with the organisation Philisa Abafazi Bethu, who is committed to serving the needs of women and children from the area.

Philisa Abafazi Bethu, is derived from one of our 9 languages of South Africa, meaning ‘heal our women’. Founder member and Director Lucinda Evans saw the great need for a women’s development program to be started up in the greater Lavender Hill community, which is 30km from the Cape Town city centre on the Cape Flats. This community has a population of over 40,000 people with more than 60% of this population being unemployed. Most of the population is women with more than 50% of these women being unemployed but also single mothers. Lavender Hill has a history of crime and violence; currently with high rates of gender based violence, family violence, child abuse, and also high rates of HIV infection. Crime rates, of mainly burglary and common assault, have soared because of the high drug consumption of chrystal meth, otherwise known to the locals as ‘tik’.

PAHRO conducts a legal clinic at the Philisa Abafazi Bethu organisation within Lavender Hill. We offer free legal advice to the women who would otherwise be unable to travel to our offices. The types of cases we deal with include divorce and maintenance issues.

Click here to find out what you can expect from a trip to Lavender Hill

Volunteer Testimonies

“The best part of Lavender Hill for me was being able to meet with clients face to face; I really enjoyed the interaction and felt more involved in the cases as I knew who the client was, and I had heard their story first hand. I would definitely recommend anyone doing work in PAHRO to go to Lavender Hill if they can, as it really is an invaluable experience and extremely worthwhile as these people rely on us and are desperate for this kind of help.”
Francesca Carrington Birch, UK, 1 month