PROJECT #248
Project #248 | Keeping the Next Generation Safe
Our Partnership with Freely in Hope
An estimated 99% of survivors of sexual violence in Kenya were first abused when they were children. While parents and caregivers are increasingly aware of the risk, 59% feel that they did not have the tools to initiate such sensitive conversations with their children. Parents, especially those living in informal settlements, are less likely to have preemptive conversations with their children on sexual abuse. Instead, they avoid the taboo topic, hoping their children stay safe through prayers and studies. However, these children remain highly vulnerable because they live in close quarters with elders and neighbors in violent and unsafe communities.
One Day’s Wages partnered with Freely in Hope to keep the next generation of children safe in Kibera – the largest slum community in Nairobi, Kenya. Through our partnership, a total of 800 parents and caregivers across 4 schools participated in “Linda Toto” workshops about sexual abuse awareness and prevention. As a result, 100% of workshop participants indicated on their post-workshop surveys that they now have the ability to identify signs of and report instances of abuse; similarly, 100% of participants have increased confidence in responding to incidents of sexual violence.
Our Collective Impact
PEOPLE HAVE IMPROVED AWARENESS ON PREVENTING SEXUAL ABUSE
PRACTITIONERS WERE TRAINED TO CONTINUE TRAINING MORE PARENTS
CHILDREN ARE IMPACTED BY THE PARENTS & CAREGIVERS WHO WERE TRAINED
Meet Mary
Becky’s School is a school for underprivileged kids in Kibera, the largest slum in the world. Mary, the school’s Founder and Director, is passionate about the impact of the Linda Toto program at her school:
“In this slum, we have different challenges including poverty, insecurity, and sexual violence. A type of sexual violence that we normally experience here is rape and defilement of young children. That’s why I was so happy when Freely in Hope introduced the Linda Toto program. We were able to educate 70 parents and 15 teachers on how to prevent child sexual abuse in our community.
Despite child sexual abuse being a taboo topic, the program was fun and educational. The parents spoke up about their experiences with sexual violence. They shared challenges that they were having including not knowing how to report cases, fearing retaliation from the perpetrator, and the time it takes for cases to be processed. Through the training, the parents and teachers learned where and how to report incidences of child sexual abuse.
Soon after the training, two parents noticed one of my students crying with a stranger. Noticing the red flags, the parents accompanied the girl to my office. When they arrived, the girl was trembling and in shock. She confirmed that he had been calling her and luring her with sweets. Because we were educating children and adults about child abuse prevention, the girl was able to notice that something was wrong, and the Freely in Hope team was able to counsel the girl.”
Thank you for making this possible!
Our movement is grassroots, to us that not only means the work on the ground is led by local leaders with the support of the community, but it also means that we raise the funds for our projects through everyday donors just like you. In addition to all the donors that gave $25, $100, or $250 and the campaigners that ran a race or donated their birthday to raise funds, we also want to thank our generous business, school, and faith sponsors who believed in our work and joined the movement.
If you want to support future projects like this you can make a donation to our human trafficking fund.
One Day's Wages is a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty
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