Nyaka’s Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) program offers a multi-faceted approach to advocating for survivors of SGBV including providing medical care, mental health care, legal support, and community outreach. 388 SGBV survivors were enrolled and supported by Nyaka from between 2015 and 2021.
Nyaka currently operates four healing centers in Kanungu District, each hosted by local hospitals and health centers. These centers provide crisis intervention, including rape exams for evidence collection, as well treatments. Just as critical as physical health, mental health care after an assault is critical for the health of a victim. This is why, in a community where access to healthcare — much less mental health care — is minimal, Nyaka fills a crucial role for survivors of sexual violence.
Our team assesses the needs of each individual who comes to us for help, then offers ongoing counseling to them and their family. Home-based therapy is offered for survivors, with the main objective being to provide counseling and other psycho-social support to the family members. It may involve individual counseling, family counseling, and even settling misunderstandings and disputes amongst family members.
Legal support is an important part of our Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) program. Getting justice for survivors provides a sense of safety, justice, and some amount of closure. Sending perpetrators to jail also sends a message that our community will not stand for SGBV. 260+ perpetrators have been arrested and handed over to authorities with support from Nyaka and local police from 2015 to October 2022.
As part of our SGBV prevention program, community outreach activities are carried out by the SGBV staff to create more awareness and education about SGBV among the general public and students. We noticed that with an increase in awareness came an increase in reporting SGBV crimes and community whistleblowers. Over 428,057 people have been educated by Nyaka since 2015 when the SGBV program started and 91.6% of Nyaka-led beneficiaries are knowledgeable and aware of SGBV compared to only 85.5% amongst their peers in the same area.
The work we do in the community to put an end to SGBV is not possible without the love and support of givers like you. Our survivors can feel your love from thousands of miles away. Thank you!
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Our Annual Walk Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) has returned after nearly three years! Nyaka’s Sexual and Gender-Based Violence program provides medical care, counseling, and legal advocacy to survivors of sexual violence, and organizes an annual walk to engage the community to rise against SGBV.
Since 2015, this program has helped almost 500 survivors and assisted in the prosecution of more than 100 perpetrators, some of the first successful prosecutions in southwest Uganda.
Every July, our goal is to gather thousands throughout Kanungu and surrounding areas to spread awareness. We walk to make a difference and show the growing support for ending SGBV in our communities. We want all perpetrators or potential perpetrators to know enough is enough and their actions will no longer be tolerated.
In July 2022, during the Third Annual Walk Against SGBV, more than four thousand students and community members joined the march from areas around Kanungu. High profile individuals including Her Excellency, Kate Airey, the British High Commissioner to Uganda and community leaders joined us to take a stance.
In support of the SGBV walk and program, one of Nyaka’s partners, Nakasero Hospital delivered free medical supplies for our Healing Centers. These supplies will be used in the medical care of survivors of SGBV at all four of Nyaka’s healing centers.
Thank you, Nakasero Hospital and all those that walked or supported the SGBV program!
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As part of our Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) prevention program, outreach sensitization activities are carried out by the SGBV staff to create more awareness and provide education among the general public and students. Community outreach coordinator, Bosco Mubangizi, visited Boona School of Journalism in Rukungiri municipality, as they were ending their semester. Bosco had a great time speaking with student journalists and staff members of Boona FM radio station. Boona School of Journalism expressed its appreciation for our efforts to make sure communities are free from SGBV. They pledged to work with Nyaka in their respective communities and places of work.
We deeply appreciate your support to ensure Nyaka and our neighboring communities are receiving information to prevent SGBV and resources to help survivors when they are victims of SGBV.
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In 2021, Nyaka’s Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Program supported 143 survivors of sexual and gender based violence, by providing medical care, counselling and legal advocacy through our SGBV Response work. The Program supports all ages, sexes and backgrounds, but the majority of survivors accessing our service are children. Nyaka has been instrumental in 166 prosecutions of perpetrators since the service began in 2015.
PEPFAR has partnered with Nyaka since 2019, enabling us, through a series of small community grants, to support more survivors. This has been especially important in recent years as the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns have increased incidences of SGBV in Uganda and globally. PEPFAR has also enabled the development of the Prevention aspect of our SGBV work. Since 2019 we have trained 840 grandmothers (including 240 grandmothers living with HIV), 60 grandfathers, 60 boda boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers and supported collaboration amongst professionals including NGO staff, police, social workers and teachers. Those who have participated in Nyaka SGBV training share their knowledge with their Grandmother groups or colleagues and act as Champions against violence in the community. We have also facilitated radio talk shows and community events to increase knowledge about SGBV and enable communities to report cases to our healing centers and outreach staff. We are very grateful to PEPFAR for their support!
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On Monday, January 10th, 2022 Nyaka welcomed children back to school! In order to keep our community safe, teachers and support staff have been vaccinated. Daily, staff members are doing all they can to follow the strict Ugandan Ministry of Health’s (MoH) operating guidelines including cleaning, maintenance, the provision of hand washing stations, masks for all students, plans for COVID-19 safe classrooms, etc. Medical personnel from the local Kambuga hospital, have visited Nyaka to address staff and students at the Nyaka Vocational Secondary School (NVSS) to provide additional guidance on how to stay safe.
Students are being tested regularly. Any student who tests positive is treated and quarantined to protect themselves and the rest of the community. We are grateful that at this time all infected students are recovering quickly. Students who are of age are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Nyaka has a new coffee table book 'For Our Children’s Sake' available now. To learn more about how to get your copy click HERE!
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The Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) team continues to fight alongside the community to reduce and end SGBV in and around the Nyaka community. Grandmother groups are frequently being taught how protect their grandchildren, especially girls, who are the most vulnerable to sexual assault and particularly at this time while schools are closed Grandmothers are taught the dangers of early marriages, pre-marital sex, teenage pregnancies, and to recognize signs of domestic violence.
In addition to grandmothers, we are also focused on training grandfathers. We are teaching them about SGBV prevention, equal rights as well as gender and power, with the aim of grandfathers becoming community champions at grassroots level. These men will act as advocates against violence towards women and children in our communities.
We also talk to grandmothers and grandfathers about how men and women respecting each other can spread the SGBV message, across the whole community, that “Enough is Enough”.
Between July and September over 3,500 community members were able to receive education on Gender Based/sexual violence by Nyaka’s SGBV team and external trainers. Since 2015, we’ve educated an estimated 418,977 community members about SGBV.
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