The founder of non-profit organisation, Girls Potential Unlimited, is concerned that cases of gender-based violence continue to rise despite all the efforts to tackle it.
Amanda Mamase founded her organisation after her own experiences with life’s challenges that not only left her with a broken heart from relationships but she also had to endure her business being scammed.
After these personal experiences and those of others, she opted to get up and form Girls Potential Unlimited.
She holds talks for women with different topics. Her first event was in 2019. In her talks, she invites professionals to give advice and survivors to talk about their experiences.
In most of her talks, she and her panel discuss relationships and business.
She said many women and men experienced depression and abuse in silence, so the gathering of different speakers is aimed at equipping and empowering all people of all ages.
On May 7, she will be hosting an event called Impression four; Intervening Period at the Lookout Hill in Khayelitsha. There will be five speakers.
“My own person forced me to do this awareness that we broaden our perspective and expand our territory. I have realised that through the process of wanting to free myself from being stagnant. But while trying to move away from being stagnant things did not go smoothly. I had so many challenges in finding my feet. I had to trust the process and not give up.”
In 2021 she felt stuck due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She said it was the time when she was busy trying to recover from a scam. “I then became stagnant. I then changed my perspective during the pandemic and based the events on a particular content which is Motion. Motion is more about my life journey and my current focus is on self discovery/realisation or actualisation, whatever you call it. When I started in 2019 I was driven by a frustration of growing old, alone and lonely,” she said.
Regardless of what happens to one, she urged all to express their frustrations. She said she invited professionals so they can be of help to all in an effort to reduce the number of victims who continue to stay in abusive relationships, who are frustrated and see nothing good in life.
Her efforts and that of others who are trying to help society by sharing personal information are commended by Dr Phindiswa Mnana, a clinician who she said she has seen a difference in many of her patients after attending such events and support groups.
“They are helping a lot. Remember many people keep things to themselves. By setting up such platforms, sharing the information, they help us a lot. Victims get coping mechanisms from other people. They find a way to solve their problem. Some people are scared to go to psychologists. They think psychologists have never experienced their problems so they will rather listen to people who have experienced their pain.”
Dr Manana made an example of the time when HIV/Aids was stigmatised as to how such platforms and support groups helped people to disclose their status.
“Look at the HIV when it was stigmatised, support groups were formed. People were educated on how to disclose to their families and kids. That helped many to be able to live freely and speak freely about their status. Even in abuse, it helps a lot. The solution don’t always come from the clinicians but from those who have experience of the pain. People who do support groups are doing a good job. I will always encourage them to do platforms for people to speak out.”
Call Amanda Mamase on 067 028 8548 or 078 042 0498 to find out about the talk.