By Betty Nabulwe | Project Leader
Chongwe Women Follow-up workshop: Understanding and Preventing Abuse
Background of the Project
Restored Hope Zambia carried out a project from January to June 2025 called the Kumasuka Project, meaning “breaking the silence” in Nyanja. The project was a survivor-centered initiative designed to prevent and address church-related abuse in Zambia.
The main objective of the project was to train women, youth,Church Leaders, and Law Enforcement Officers in Lusaka and Chongwe on understanding abuse, reporting mechanisms, and the prevention of abuse-related cases within churches and communities. As part of this initiative, a women’s follow-up workshop was conducted with 10 participants from the previous training that took place in March 2025.
Main Activities and Discussions
During the follow-up workshop, we held two sessions with the women:
The first session, focused on a recap of the previous training as a refresher since it had been some time since we last met with the group. This allowed participants to revisit important topics around abuse prevention, survivor support, and reporting pathways.
The second session, focused on understanding how the women have been implementing the knowledge gained from the previous workshop. We invited these 10 women because we wanted to learn how they are applying the training in their churches and communities, how they are putting the lessons into practice, and what challenges and needs they are currently facing.
Through the discussions, several key needs and recommendations were identified:
1. The women expressed a strong need for more training in trauma-informed counseling so they can better support survivors and vulnerable individuals in their communities.
2. They requested practical training materials and resources in local languages that they can continue using when training and supporting others.
3. Participants shared that they are open to continued engagement with Restored Hope Zambia and welcomed future visits to their communities so that more members of the community can interact with the organization and learn from the trainings.
4. The women emphasized the importance of engaging traditional leaders, such as community chairpersons and headmen, before conducting community trainings, as these leaders are key in informing the chieftainess and ensuring community support.
Women Empowerment and Impact
One of the most encouraging outcomes of the workshop was hearing how women are beginning to use the skills gained from the training to support others in their communities.
A powerful testimony was shared by a pastor’s wife who attended the previous training. She explained how she used the counseling approaches learned during the workshop to support a woman in her community who was going through a very difficult situation and had reached a point of feeling hopeless and overwhelmed.
The pastor’s wife shared that she created a safe environment for the woman to speak openly, listened without judgment, and continued offering support and encouragement. She reflected that before attending the training, she would not have known how to respond to such a sensitive situation, but the knowledge gained gave her confidence to provide care in a more compassionate and informed way.
Stories like this show the importance of empowering women with practical knowledge and skills, as they are becoming trusted sources of support within their churches and communities.
What’s Next
Based on the feedback and needs identified during the workshop, the next steps will include:
1. Conducting more in-depth training in trauma-informed counseling.
2. Providing practical resources and training materials for community use.
3. Strengthening engagement with traditional leaders before activities are implemented.
4. Supporting churches in creating safe and private counseling spaces
As we conclude this phase of the project, we would like to sincerely thank all our supporters and donors for making this work possible. Your support has helped create safer spaces for women and strengthened community efforts in addressing abuse and supporting survivors.
Restored Hope Zambia will now be closing this phase of the project and transitioning into a new project focused on Training of Trainers (ToT). This next phase will equip selected participants with deeper skills and knowledge so they can continue training others and expand the impact of this work within their communities.
By Inonge Siluka | Charity Director
By Chalwe Chikoka Banda | Programmes Coordinator
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