Help for Rape Victims & Orphans

This year I am doing my service for Lani.  One of her passions is helping the women in Africa.  I heard about an organization and wondered if I had time to get involved, but I decided it would be a good Christmas service project, and that I would make the time.  I heard about this organization from a Congolese man at work that gave me the name and number of the contact in charge of the office.  As the office was in a rough part of town, he even went with me for my original appointment, to act as my body guard and translator. 

This organization is called:  HELP FOR WOMEN VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLANCE AND ORPHANS. 

The facility to help these women and children is actually in the Northeast part of the DRCongo.  The area is very dangerous, so we won’t actually go there.  The office will coordinate the transportation of all items we donate. 

Exact statistics are difficult to get, but one report stated that  “40% of the women in the DRC have been raped”.   Most of the people that live in that part of the DRCongo are Muslims.  When a girl or woman is raped, she is considered “unclean” and she is abandoned by her family… no matter the age of the victim.  Many die because of lack of food and shelter.  This organization provides both of these essentials for these girls & women.  They receive intensive counseling and are taught self-esteem. There is a farm where they are taught how to grow things, which helps them become self-sufficient and eventually able to earn some money and function independently.   The woman who started the organization is in the above photo. 

I met with the woman in charge of the office and she shared a video and some information with us.

  We were encouraged to donate anything we could in the way of money or clothes or school supplies, as all are badly needed. We have found out that these women don’t wear pants.  It is against their culture.  However skirts and dresses and pieces of fabric to use as wrap-arounds will all be appreciated.  There is also a large orphanage, near the Rape Victim Refuge, that has children desperately in need of clothing and shoes.  They can attend the school, but must wear uniforms of navy blue bottoms, and white button-up-the-front collared shirts and blouses.    

We have started gathering things in the US, and some were already brought over by Westland.  We will be taking them to the office in January and in February, as they come in.  In the meantime, I have helped to coordinate an Eagle Scout project that will be also collecting things for these women and children. 

Thank you, Lani, for being a great example to me.