Worcester House of Hope

About Worcester House of Hope

Worcester House of Hope (WHOH) is a registered NPO and a member of the Western Cape Women's Shelter Movement (WSM). The organisation was founded by Sonja du Toit, whose vision was to take women and children into residential care so they could process traumatic experiences and transform them into meaningful opportunities for personal development. The WHOH was formally launched on 23 June 2003, with their first intake in July 2003. Over two decades of operation, WHOH has become a critical resource in the Boland region — filling a gap in an area where survivors from rural communities around Worcester, the Hex River Valley, and the broader Cape Winelands district would otherwise have to travel to Cape Town to access a place of safety.

Who They Serve

Services are rendered primarily to current female victims of crime and violence. This includes women who have experienced domestic violence, intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, and other forms of GBV. The shelter accommodates women and their children for the duration of their stay, providing a secure and supportive environment while longer-term plans are made.

Capacity and Programmes

WHOH accommodates up to 15 individuals (women and their children) at any given time. The shelter operates both an internal programme — structured support, counselling, and developmental activities within the shelter — and an external programme targeting the broader Worcester community with awareness, prevention, and outreach activities. This dual approach addresses both immediate crisis needs and the longer-term community context in which GBV occurs.

Regional Context

Worcester is the administrative centre of the Cape Winelands District and serves a large agricultural hinterland where many women farm workers and dwellers have extremely limited access to GBV support services. WHOH's presence in Worcester makes it accessible to women from as far as Robertson, Rawsonville, De Doorns, and Touwsrivier who may be referred by social workers, hospitals, or the police. As confirmed by a recent GroundUp investigation, survivors from areas like Beaufort West and Laingsburg in the Central Karoo are also sometimes referred to Worcester as the nearest shelter.