Domestic violence happens all the time. It is not predictable when it is going to take place. Peaceful homes and peaceful communities is what we wish for, and for it to happen we must work hard.

Daphne Jansen is a project coordinator for the Network on Violence Against Women in Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town. Born in 1956, Daphne has been involved in bringing change for women in her community, focusing on eradicating violence against women. She is also a motivational speaker. Daphne is a graduate of Development Education Leadership Teams in Action (Delta). She obtained a certificate in adult education and a higher diploma in adult education training and development from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, where she worked as a part-time tutor.

Daphne Jansen has been volunteering her services as an educator in her community for many years. She is a dynamic woman whose action in development issues has won her many awards. Drawing from general community meetings she established the Network on Violence Against Women in 1996. Daphne spends minimal amount of time with her family causing some marital problems. But she walks tall and says: “We all have our calling in life. This is my calling and I believe that God will not put me in a difficult situation because of my calling.” She has influenced other women to take up the fight to eradicate violence against women. Women who have attended her workshops are encouraged to become members of the organization. There now are more women coming out of the closet to talk about their personal experiences of domestic violence. And as more women come out, the need to expand support services for them increases. The Network faces severe funding shortfalls. They would like to have additional services to counseling, which is what the organization currently offers women suffering domestic abuse. Because domestic violence happens all the time to different women, there is need for more and better response to assist women when they call in for help. Currently, one disadvantage at the Network is that sometimes women have to wait for a while before they can get assistance. This does not augur well for those in need of immediate help. “Because of funding constraints we do not have an office conducive to the organization’s work and our training room cannot accommodate all our clients. In fact we need four more such training rooms," says Daphne. Meanwhile Daphne and some of the members bear all costs related to the running of the Network.

Network on Violence Against Women Development Education Leadership Teams in Action (Delta)