Project Report
| Jan 10, 2024
Strengthening Advocacy by Understanding Our Rights
By Trizah Gakwa | Strategic Growth Director
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We believe that girls have the agency to make choices for themselves and advocate for their rights. Our role is to equip them through education and leadership development, and to amplify their voices as they lead in ending the cycle of sexual violence. One of the tools we use are leadership labs which educate the girls on different topics.
In November, we held a leadership lab on women's rights and feminism. In order to be strong advocates, we all need to educate ourselves on the issues that we're advocating for or against. Unlike other leadership lab sessions, this one was facilitated by all the girls. They took time to research and present on the different laws on women's ang girl's rights internationally and locally and their intersection with our work of ending sexual violence. They also researched on feminism, its principles and its role in the attainment of women's and girl's rights.
At the end of the session, every girl picked a femist principle that they would like to intentionally apply in ther advocacy in the coming days. We are grateful for your support that helps us equip our scholars to be better advocates against sexual violence.
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Aug 24, 2023
Undoing Patterns that Hinder our Growth!
By Trizah Gakwa | Strategic Growth Director
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Though fulfilling, the journey of pursuing our dreams is not easy especially for teenagers. At this stage there are many challenges that can easily derail them including peer pressure, exposure to drugs, confusing body changes like mensturation among others. Past trauma, as in the case for the girls in our program, can compound things even further. It is imperative that teenagers receive lots of support at this stage to navigate all these challenges so that they do not loose sight of their dreams.
In August, we took our girls for a retreat where we discussed different topics in a safe and non-judgemental space. We did the Enneagram personality test and discovered our strengths, healthy patterns and the unhealthy patterns that distract us from our goals. We then looked at ways that we can leverage our strengths to undo the unhealthy patterns that we have. We also talked about the changes that happen to us when we start mensturating and learned about how to use a period bracelet to understand our cycles.
Overall, the girls felt seen, heard, and supported to navigate challenges as they pursue their academic dreams. We are grateful to you for making this support possible.
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Apr 27, 2023
Trauma-informed Parenting Training
By Trizah Gakwa | Strategic Growth Director
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Our scholars come from different backgrounds; most of them from very vulnerable communities. They overcome insummountable challenges in the pursuit of their academic dreams, all with the hope of going back to solve different problems in their communities.
In Africa, we say that it takes a village to raise a child. And even with Freely in Hope's support, the role of their families and communities remains critical in their journey of transformation and growth. Our support, therefore, is holistic and includes collaborating with their parents and caregivers and equipping them with truma-informed parenting skills that help them best support their children.
In the month of March, we hosted our first parents'meeting of the year where our Social Worker and Mental Health Specialist listened to the challenges that the parents and caregivers have been navigating and shared insights on how they can handle them while prioritizing their children's and their own well-being.
These parents and caregivers rarely ever have support systems and such forums are life-giving and supportive of their role in supporting their children's dreams. Thank you for being part of the village that is supporting the dreams of our scholars!
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