Johannesburg, South Africa – Sasol Energy Marketing and Sales is partnering with youth health non-profit organisation (NGO), loveLife, to address Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in Gauteng. This 3-year initiative focuses on raising awareness and providing care and support to victims in communities near Sasol retails sites, including Diepsloot, Alexandra, Tembisa, Honeydew, Mamelodi and Soweto. The mobile unit will operate Monday to Friday, rotating between the six sites, starting at Diepsloot from 8 to 12 July.
Sasol will sponsor loveLife’s new mobile unit that will be staffed with a counsellor and a registered nurse to offer free, confidential, and inclusive support, counselling, educational and healthcare services to GBVF victims and their family members. loveLife Groundbreakers will also be on hand to raise awareness and encourage people to seek help from the mobile units. loveLife has also engaged social health partners to provide support for referrals and to evaluate the services that the mobile clinic renders to the community.
Zanele Hadebe, Vice President for Marketing, Sasol Energy Marketing and Sales says: “In a country identified as one of the most violent places in the world, there is an urgent need to address toxic social norms and gender inequality that increase the prevalence of gender-based violence and femicide.
It’s also essential to provide holistic psychosocial support for people whose lives have been shattered by GBVF. We are proud to collaborate with loveLife to address GBVF in some of the most affected communities, fostering safer environments, building awareness, and ultimately helping to prevent GBVF.”
loveLife, headquartered in Sandton, Gauteng, operates across all nine provinces of South Africa, delivering comprehensive youth health services through its national network of 24 Youth Centres. These centres provide educational, recreational, and sexual health services, aligning with the World Health Organization’s definition of youth health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
loveLife’s Dr. Doreen Kosi, Acting Chief Executive Officer added, “This partnership with Sasol allows us to extend our reach and impact significantly. By combining our expertise with Sasol’s commitment to social impact, we can make a difference in the fight against GBVF and support especially young people in their journey towards a safer and healthier life.”