Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

07 August 2025

2-minute read

Susan Harwood, the heart behind Bags of Love, started her mission collecting gently used handbags, filling them with essentials, and giving them to women in need of comfort. From survivors of abuse to women navigating hard times, or those simply in need of a touch of dignity, Bags of Love brings hope to women in a dignified way.

“The inspiration for giving for healing” began when Susan entered her teens and she and her mother donated all her toys to an orphanage in Harare. The simplicity of the act of bringing light to those in difficulty spurred her on, and as a young woman, she got involved in feeding schemes and donation campaigns.

Ten years ago, she came across a post by her Canadian friend to fill gently used handbags with essential items like toiletries and snacks, alongside a note of encouragement “to lift the spirits of a homeless woman.” Knowing that most of us have used handbags “lying around gathering dust,” Susan immediately latched onto the idea and started her own mission, seeking out organizations and women’s shelters that helped women who were victims of trauma from domestic abuse, violence, floods and fires, and donating her ‘Bags of Love’ to them.

The project “mushroomed” during COVID when their organization sent teams out almost every day to squatter camps and informal settlements to supply essential items in handbags, as well as other items of necessity like blankets, clothing and appliances, to women in need. While the project started with donating old handbags, the project blossomed with community support, and they are now also able to give out new handbags.

Susan says that Bags of Love is not “just a charity,” but more about “giving somebody a hand up” when they’re going through a rough time, telling them they are loved and do deserve better, giving them hope and “restoring some lost dignity.” The items placed in the bags trigger “a reaction of comfort” to make women feel calm and comforted.

Typical items in the Bags of Love include general toiletries, tissues, a comb, fragrances, and socks and scarves. Bags given to children have colouring-in books and crayons, teddy bears, snacks, and a little blanket in them. Depending on the situation that they’re attending to, the items do vary.

Today, Bags of Love is a trusted source of support across Johannesburg and beyond — offering help to women in times of trauma and crisis.

Susan Harwood has learnt many lessons from her initiative, the biggest being the resilience and bravery of human beings, and how dignity can be restored through giving people a “hand up instead of a handout”.

Contact Susan on Facebook: Susan Harwood Bags of Love; or email: harwoods@netactive.co.za to get involved in this beautiful initiative.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Susan Harwood.