Help Vulnerable Women Become Leaders of Change

Over the past three months, a number of updates from existing ventures help us see a common thread:  training as a way to advance their different missions.  Each team is demonstrating the power of their achievements through their focus on training. We have chosen to highlight their successes here:

A Friend Indeed

“A Friend Indeed” continues to work on tackling a deeply set sigma faced by single mothers. In a survey taken before the project, 100% of their community members indicated the belief that single mothers are useless to society.  Here is how the team is working to combat these beliefs.

In the past three months through their training they have:

•   helped 67 single mothers understand their rights on issues of violence and human rights.
•   held 2-day training workshop on reproductive health and use of birth control system.
•   reached out to 48 youth and taught them about reproductive health, specifically unwanted pregnancies.
•   organized 249 single mothers in Byimana to manage their savings, dividing them into 9 groups.
•   initiated sewing courses to help equip single mothers with skills so that they can be economically independent.

Kind People

"Kind People" continues to tackle the issue of women's lack of access to land and property rights, an underlying cause of domestic physical and economic violence.

They have trained:

• 292 people (147 men and 127 women) from Kabagali sector, living in Rwesero and Munanira, Karambi, and Rwoga Cellules in gender based violence, the causes and consequence of violence, how to take care of victims of domestic abuse and violence and strategies to combat violence.  (Afterwards, team members selected 120 people who best exhibited change.  They also chose 3 people from each village who "changed their minds on violence." With additional training they are now formed in 10 clubs focused on actively helping reduce and/or manage cases of violence.)
• 10 people (4 men and 6 women) working at the local authorities office.
•  a group of people on a specific session "training the trainers"

Education for the Young Girls

This venture seeks to empower young women by keeping them in school.
In the past 3 months they report that they have:

• continued reproductive health training, including activities that encourage school dropouts to return to school.
• conducted a reproductive health and saving training workshop for 94 girls at school.
• initiated a savings workshop to help prevent girls from dropping out of school because they can't afford the supplies or fees. (The team recognizes that many girls drop out of school because of poverty, and they believe that a saving workshop will prevent them from the option of taking up prostitution. As result of the workshop, most of the girls are working as a team to collect firewood and sell for money that goes toward school materials for themselves.)

While each ventures carries out a variety of beneficial training activities (and much more) they are also seeking out ways to become financially self-sustaining over the long-term.  Your contribution helps bring each group one step closer toward that goal.  We are so grateful to existing donors who have already supported these women.  And to new donors who might be inspired to join, thank you so much as well.

Links:

• Global Grassroots