About R80 000 has been raised at a charity dinner in aid of a non-profit organisation that helps rape survivors.

The R495-a-head dinner at a Cape Town hotel was organised by an Athlone-based firm of attorneys after Women Against Rape’s (WAR) Cape Town office closed earlier this year due to lack of funding.

The money raised from the dinner would now be used to reopen WAR’s Cape Town office, said Janine Rowley, the founder of the organisation that distributes comfort packs to rape survivors.

The office in Milnerton had had to close because of the financial impact of Covid-19, but WAR, which had been going since 2000, had continued to be run from its Pretoria office, said Ms Rowley.

“Part of WAR’s services included providing rape victims with comfort packs costing between R250 to R350 which includes a towel, a face cloth, deodorant (not roll on), body lotion, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a sanitary towel, lip ice, a comb, underwear (boys, girls, women, men), a teddy bear or soft toy, a sweet, juice, and a bag for the contents,” she said.

Rene Miller, the managing director of the firm of attorneys that organised the fund-raising dinner, said the event had been sold out and guests had also donated sanitary towels.

The comfort packs would be distributed from the offices of R Miller Attorneys in Thornton Road, Athlone, while WAR worked on reopening its Cape Town office, Ms Miller said.

“Women Against Rape is the safety net for rape survivors. Listening to the founder saying that they are closing because they have no funds was shocking. Close on to R80 000 has been raised thus far. Even though it was short notice, it was well attended. It is heart-warming to know that people will support events like these,” Ms Miller said.

The firm plans to distribute the comfort packs to various police stations across the province, according to senior associate Fatima Parker.

“We just want to support the organisation and help where we can by distributing from our offices and partnering with others who can also offer help,” she said.

Mariam Parker from Athlone, who attended the event said women should speak out about sexual violence.

“Open up to the community and to the police to help you. Don’t be afraid to speak out and reach out for help. Speak up for yourself so that we can put a stop to this,” she said.

Nicole April, from Athlone, said it was important to create awareness about organisations that helped rape survivors.

“Many people don’t know where they can go for help and with events like these, organisations which have closed down can maybe open again.”