"Safe Haven: Empowering Survivors.

Summary

Through our Safe Haven project, Voices of the Defenceless continues to provide a supportive and empowering environment for survivors of sexual abuse, trafficking, and domestic violence. Despite facing financial limitations, our team has remained steadfast in its mission to restore dignity, hope, and purpose to those who have suffered.

Progress and Activities

During this reporting period, we focused on small but impactful efforts that created safe spaces for survivors to express themselves and heal.

• Support and Counseling: We offered one-on-one and group sessions—mainly peer-led—to help survivors share their stories, find emotional relief, and begin rebuilding their self-worth.

• Storytelling and Healing: Writing workshops encouraged participants to use creative expression—poems, short stories, and reflective pieces—as tools for recovery and empowerment.

• Community Education: Our outreach included community talks that addressed gender-based violence and the importance of standing up for survivors’ rights.

• Partnership Building: We have reached out to local leaders, women’s groups, and churches to collaborate in extending the project’s reach.

Challenges

The main challenge continues to be limited funding. Our team operates mostly through volunteer support and personal contributions. This has restricted our ability to hold larger group sessions and provide materials such as notebooks, writing supplies, and refreshments for participants.

Impact

Even with limited resources, the Safe Haven project has touched lives. Survivors report feeling renewed confidence and emotional strength. Many have begun to write openly about their experiences and even support others in their healing journeys. Our advocacy has also helped shift community attitudes toward greater empathy and understanding.

Next Steps

Looking ahead, we plan to:

• Expand our storytelling workshops to include more survivors and youth.

• Publish a booklet of survivor-written poems and testimonies.

• Strengthen our partnerships to secure more stable funding.

• Continue advocating for victims’ rights and building safe, inclusive spaces for healing.

Thank You

We are sincerely grateful to GlobalGiving and everyone who has supported our mission. Each donation and word of encouragement keeps this vision alive. Together, we are helping survivors reclaim their voices and build brighter, safer futures.

With gratitude and hope,
Annette Nawls
Founder, Voices of the Defenceless

Introduction:

At Voices of the Defenseless, our mission remains steadfast — to empower survivors of sexual violence and abuse by providing them with a safe space, emotional support, and opportunities for healing and growth. Over the past months, we have continued to deliver on this promise, despite facing significant challenges related to funding and resources.

Progress Updates:

From April to July 2025, we focused on small yet impactful activities due to limited funding. Here’s what we’ve accomplished:

• Counseling and Support Groups:
  We provided one-on-one counseling sessions to 5 survivors and held 1 group therapy sessions, reaching an average of 6 women per session. These sessions focused on trauma recovery, rebuilding confidence, and regaining a sense of dignity and hope.

• Community Outreach and Awareness:
  Through our community awareness programs, we reached approximately 20 individuals, educating them about survivors’ rights, legal protections, and how to offer support to victims of abuse. This was done through small gatherings, church visits, and local women’s groups due to resource constraints.

• Creative Healing Workshops:
  We held two storytelling and poetry workshops, allowing survivors to express their journeys through writing. These workshops not only served as therapeutic tools but also prepared participants for future opportunities to share their stories publicly to inspire others.

Challenges:

Due to inadequate funds, our reach this period was limited compared to our goals. We could not expand our services to new regions as planned. However, the impact on those we did reach remains profound and meaningful. Survivors continue to express gratitude for the emotional support and opportunities for healing they receive.

Looking Ahead:

With your continued support, we aim to:

• Expand our safe space facility to accommodate more survivors.

• Increase access to legal aid partnerships for survivors seeking justice.

• Launch a digital storytelling platform to give survivors a global voice.

Thank You:

Thank you to our donors and the GlobalGiving team. Your support is transforming lives, restoring dignity, and empowering survivors to become advocates for others. We are determined to keep going, one life at a time.