In Tonga, too many women stay in violent homes because leaving means losing everything: income, shelter, and hope. We give survivors a real way out. Through business training, capacity building and a caring support network, women learn to earn, save, and stand on their own. Earning power means choice, and choice means safety. Your gift helps a mother rebuild her life, protect her children, and dream of a future free from fear. Together, we turn survival into lasting hope.
Domestic abuse is widespread in Tonga, where 1 in 3 ever-partnered women has faced physical violence, and most survivors never seek help due to stigma and economic dependence. With jobs scarce, especially in rural areas, leaving an abuser often means losing food, housing, and support for their children, trapping women in violence for years. This project directly benefits 100+ Tongan women survivors, plus their children and communities, with a marketable income source and a real path to safety.
This project trains women survivors in marketable skills like cooking, sewing, and flower arranging through hands-on group workshops led by local instructors. For example, a graduate might sew and sell dresses, cater small family events, or arrange flowers for weddings, turning her new skill into steady income. Survivors also get basic business training and help connecting to buyers, so they can support their families and leave unsafe homes for good, gaining lasting independence.
As survivors gain financial independence, they are better able to leave and stay out of abusive situations permanently, improving their own safety and that of their children. Income-generating skills also ripple outward: graduates often go on to sell goods and services locally, strengthening their communities' economies, and many share their skills informally with other women, extending the project's reach beyond its direct participants. Over time, this contributes to a broader shift in Tongan.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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