By Glenn Fawcett | Executive Director, Lotus Outreach
Skills Training, Tailoring and Handicrafts--Ways to Wellness and Empowerment
We’ve often shared with supporters of this program the impact that care and counseling has on the young women and children that enter this program as victims of rape, trafficking and domestic violence. Our counselors are highly skilled and provide appropriate therapy on an individual basis. It takes a lot of time and infinite patience to reach a traumatised child and bring them back so they can relate to people and trust again.
Among the myriad of therapeutic approaches used to heal and rebuild trust in these young women and girls, we have employed a professional tailor to provide sewing and handicraft skills. Working on their own projects, together in a small group, allows young minds to heal at their own speed. Whether learning to cut and stitch a dress or making a fancy beaded bracelet, all the participants find joy learning how to create something with their own hands. Working together everyday without any pressure also provides opportunities to develop trust and a sense of ease with people again.
Skills training to support livelihood is another important element attached to the counseling program. The ability to make a living independent of others provides essential support for the successful reintegration back into the community and eventual re empowerment of the individual.
Every year we try to identify three or four young women in counseling for skills training scholarships. The type of skill provided depends on the preferences of the girls themselves. Beauty salon, hair and makeup is the preferred skill chosen by girls in the past few years and which makes sense as graduates are easily able to find a job in a salon or set up as successful small business, even in the remotest village.
Being educated and having a skill is so important to the development of their self-esteem. Those applying for the training award are over the moon to be receiving training they otherwise couldn’t afford and are very happy when working in the beauty salon environment.
The Empowerment of Srey Pich
Pich left school to help her mother with a small home based grocery business after completing only grade 5. At 13 she was lured into a relationship with an older boy. The boy was arrested and Pich ended up at the shelter filled with a sense she’d brought a great shame on her family. After several weeks of keeping to herself she gradually opened up to others assisted by regular personal counseling sessions. Pich enjoyed the sewing and handicraft sessions and eventually applied for Beauty Salon skills training. Even though only 13 years of age at the time, she was very enthusiastic which earned her the training award.
Pich was very skilled at salon work and began earning good money after 6 months of training! We recently visited her at her very own salon and where she can average $5 per day and double that in the marriage season where she can earn $20 for one marriage.
At the ripe age of just 15 years Pich tells us, “I am overcome with happiness…I love what I do and I can finally support myself with what I earn!
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
