There’s no better feeling than supporting one another as human beings. And as women, it’s especially important that we lift one another up. As we enter into Women’s History Month, I’ve highlighted some active local charities in Columbia that you can spend some of your time or money supporting. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but can hopefully give you an idea of places locally that are helping to support women in some way.
Fact Forward
Formerly the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, this organization aims to create better conversations between adults and teens about love, sex and relationships. The organization works to prevent early pregnancies as well as provide education on STDs. You can be trained with this organization to guide schools, families, parents and even faith communities on how to talk about safe sex.
Hannah House
Hannah House provides assistance to women and children in transitionary periods in their lives, giving them temporary housing and other basic necessities. It’s the first women’s and children’s shelter in the Midlands and has been operating since 1999. You can keep up with them on their Facebook to see their current needs, or reach out to them for volunteer opportunities.
Killingsworth Home
This is another transition home for women in crisis. Killingsworth Home offers a place for women to stay, mental health counseling, job-development training and more. As a volunteer with Killingworth, you can do many things from helping answer phones, sorting through donations, doing garden work and even helping with taxes. You can also see their needed donations list here.
Planned Parenthood
Providing accessible healthcare for women, this non-profit healthcare provider does a lot for the community. Doing everything from reproductive health assessments, wellness visits, STI services and even providing education courses, it’s not just about abortion. There are many opportunities to volunteer with them and donate so the organization can keep on providing quality health care to low-income women and families.
Pathways to Healing
Formerly known as Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, this organization helps women that have experienced sexual trauma. There are a few ways to get involved with Pathways to Healing. You can be present at the hospital when a survivor needs someone there with them, work the phone lines, or even be working the front desk. Check out those volunteer opportunities here. They also offer many supportive services and education, and you can donate to their organization here.
Sistercare
Sistercare works to help women in scary scenarios of domestic violence. They have a hotline for people to call who are in bad situations, and they offer shelter, protection and much more. They also go out in the community to educate young people on healthy relationships. You can donate to them through this page, and they are currently asking for things like basic toiletries, used cellphones, gas cards and cleaning products. You can also see their other volunteer opportunities on their website.