Imagine being afraid to fetch water or being forced to marry instead of going to school. In Kenya we are building a community resource center to protect girls from Gender-Based Violence (GBV). It will house and educate 30 girls who have survived GBV and host our afterschool program designed to prevent GBV and keep 100s of girls safe and in school. We are now raising funds to complete construction of the resource center, where we will be able to serve the community for years to come.
COVID-19 increased GBV against girls in Kenya with thousands pregnant, assaulted, and forced into child marriage. Last year we had to turn away over 100 assaulted girls seeking safety at our residential program. Our afterschool program will help prevent GBV and offer hope to girls in the community. All girls in our current program are thriving, attending school, receiving trauma-informed counseling, and dreaming of becoming teachers, doctors, and pilots. Every girl deserves the same opportunity.
Quilts for Empowerment (QFE) has a two-prong, sustainable solution: 1) a residential program for girls who have been assaulted and 2) an afterschool program to prevent GBV and help girls stay in school. We are asking for $10,000 toward the $160,000 needed to build the resource center on land already developed with necessary infrastructure. The center will have dormitories, a commercial kitchen, library, dispensary, therapy room and meeting spaces for our afterschool program.
QFE's successful residential program for girls who experienced GBV will more than double in size. Our afterschool program will result in fewer girls experiencing GBV, becoming pregnant, married, and forced to leave school. All girls will have improved physical and psychosocial health and hopes for their futures. The community resource center will be a hub for training and resources to reduce GBV in the community. Donate now and help us build a future where Kenyan girls aren't afraid to dream big
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
