Creating Effective Families (CEF)
Creating Effective Families (CEF) is Mossel Bay's oldest and most established family and GBV welfare organisation, founded in 1986 as a FAMSA branch. The first NPO in Mossel Bay to deliver a professional holistic therapeutic service, CEF operates a domestic violence shelter in D'Almeida, a Family Centre in Asla Park, counselling for survivors and perpetrators, vocational training, HIV/AIDS education, and a crèche — serving thousands of clients annually across the Garden Route.
Contact & Location
- Karin Gildenhuys (Director)
- 9 George Road, Mossel Bay, Western Cape, 6500
Opening Hours
Opening hours not available. Contact the organisation directly.
About
About Creating Effective Families
Creating Effective Families (CEF) was founded in 1986 as a branch of the Family and Marriage Association of South Africa (FAMSA) in Mossel Bay. In June 2000, the project joined with the Mossel Bay Alcohol and Drug Centre to become the independent organisation known as Creating Effective Families. It was the first NGO in Mossel Bay to deliver a professional, holistic therapeutic service to individuals and families. The organisation serves a grand total of over 13,000 clients per year across its various programmes.
CEF is led by Director Karin Gildenhuys, who has described their core challenge: "Domestic violence is rampant, threatening the lives of mostly women and children. In most cases we deal with, substance abuse is a major contributing factor." The lack of alternative accommodation is identified as the central structural barrier keeping women in violent situations — which is why the CEF Shelter is foundational to their work.
The CEF Shelter – D'Almeida
The CEF Shelter, located in D'Almeida (a township near Mossel Bay), provides residential refuge for women who are victims of domestic violence. The shelter offers a safe space while social workers work with residents on either saving their relationships through professional intervention or supporting them to find new avenues of survival and independence. The DSD national shelters database confirms this shelter with a capacity of 25 beds.
The Family Centre – Asla Park
CEF's Family Centre in Asla Park accommodates 52 children aged 2–5 in a crèche where parental involvement is compulsory. Parents are required to attend all enrichment programmes — a deliberate design to strengthen parent-child bonds, improve parenting skills, and break cycles of family dysfunction. Siblings receive aftercare and life skills under social work supervision. Families are monitored over three years.
Additional Services
- Individual, group and family therapy
- Therapeutic group work and life skills training
- Educational awareness on gender equality, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence prevention through workshops and talks
- Counselling for men — CEF extended its services to include counselling for male perpetrators and vulnerable men, recognising their role in the cycle of violence
- Technical skills and vocational training for unemployed and unskilled community members
- Volunteer training and support groups
- beCEFhelp food voucher project — providing R300 virtual food vouchers to 200 families in Mossel Bay fortnightly during crises, funded through corporate and church partners