Community unites to uplift Operation Bobbi Bear with vital food donations

Operation Bobbi Bear received much-needed food donations from the community after a Bobbi Bear Mass Ride through parts of Amanzimtoti on Saturday. 

Bobbi Bear is a human rights organisation committed to helping sexually abused children in KwaZulu-Natal. The Toti Community Assist (TCAI) member, Dalene Crawford, conceived the fundraiser to make people aware of the sterling work that Bobbi Bear conducts daily. 

“I know the backlash they get when they ask for help. It was a very successful mass ride this year. I would love to raise awareness everywhere for Bobbi Bear because they do not get government funding,” Crawford said.  

Director at Bobbi Bear, Eureka Olivier, said the organisation has 12 children on the property in Amanzimtoti, which is also referred to as an emergency house.

These children, she said, were rescued from homes where they were abused. Olivier said that because there is a shortage of funding, Bobbi Bear often has a critically low stock of basic food, including cereal, milk, and tinned food. 

“We are grateful for fundraisers because they help us stock up on essentials. We also received clothes. It is heartwarming to see people going out of their way to assist us,” she said.

Olivier stated that they are a rapid-response organisation for incidents of rape and abuse. The home in Amanzimtoti also has an additional cost of paying caregivers. 

“We keep these abused children safe until they are ready to move out and reintegrate into society. Here, they live a normal life, attending school and participating in extra-curricular activities,” she said.  

“We work from all over the province, including satellite stations and police stations. We also have qualified counsellors who interview the children.” 

Olivier said if a child was raped in their home, they could not take the child back, adding that Bobbi Bear is the only organisation in South Africa that works with a bear.

A “Bobbi Bear” is a non-threatening means (bear) for child victims of sexual abuse to communicate the nature of the abuse, crossing all language barriers and preventing secondary abuse at the point of rescue.

It provides a better understanding of actual events and enables the initiation of appropriate HIV and Aids interventions.

“Our success rate is testament to our organisation’s training programmes. We rescue and provide safe homes for abused children, work with the criminal justice system to prosecute perpetrators, educate individuals and communities, and much, much more,” she said. 

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za