Nov 25th: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
How Food for the Hungry (FH) is walking alongside women
God’s Word tells us that everyone is made in God’s image. As a result:
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
~ Isaiah 1:17
FH volunteer counselor prays for a woman in IDP camp outside of Kitgum, Uganda
Women & Children - Vulnerable Casualties of War in Uganda:
The New Life Center (NLC) in Kitgum, Uganda walks alongside survivors of physical, psychological and sexual torture in war-torn northern Uganda. These vulnerable girls were abducted by rebel soldiers and subsequently had children by their perpetrators. The NLC equips and coordinates a network of faith-based counselors and teachers to provide wholistic support and to increase the capacity of the churches and communities to reduce the vulnerability of the girls through training, education, vocational support and income generation. Thousands of “child mothers” have experienced God’s healing hand at the New Life Center, many of them coming to a newfound faith in Christ. The curriculum includes teaching the girls about their value in Christ as well as well as providing emotional and social support through counseling. The success of the NLC is due to its wholistic approach to supporting victims and the ability of the community to increase its capacity to reduce the vulnerability of women and children prone to Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The NLC will be expanding its services in 2010 to nearly 50,000 women and 15,000 students in an effort to provide community-based protection systems and safe preventative learning environments that identify and address SGBV in schools.
"Ber" means Goodness in Lwo. These little feet belong to children born as a result of rape. Their mothers are receiving healing and counseling at the New Life Center.
Reducing the Demand for Commercial Sex (Mozambique).
This program helps women vulnerable to commercial sex along a transportation corridor in Mozambique. Education is provided to help identify risks for HIV, while at the same time, enrolling women in savings groups to obtain alternate sources of income. This program also trains potential perpetrators of abuse (the businessmen and women in the corridor) to increase their awareness of human rights and persuade against future violence and abuse against commercial sex workers. No woman enrolled in this program has engaged in commercial sex work in the past 6 months. Women are now making more than twice through savings groups than what they did through the sex trade.
A child mother sings praise in devotions at the New Life Center
Raising Awareness of Sex Trafficking (US):
FH is working in collaboration with government, business, church and university leaders in an effort to combat and eradicate the sexual exploitation of children in Phoenix. In 2008, a documentary film was released entitled “branded”, for the purpose of educating and motivating people to speak out against child prostitution and the sex slave trade. This initiative is aimed at raising awareness through education and the promotion of legislative revisions, as well as provide aftercare to victims of sex trafficking.
A woman at the New Life Center laughs. Her healing is evident of her newfound hope.
Sexual Abuse Prevention for Youth (Mozambique, Ethiopia and Nigeria):
Since 2004, FH, together with the AERDO HIV and AIDS Alliance (AHA) has been addressing sexual abuse at the community level through training of local leaders in churches, schools and community associations. The training helps to increase awareness of sexual abuse and gives tools for the development of policies and programs to refer abused youth, the perpetrators of youth, as well as those needing medical care at the community level.
How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
~Psalms 82: 2-4
Click Here to view the FH Sexual Abuse Prevention Curriculum
To make a donation to our ongoing efforts against Gender Based Violence, please donate here
For more information on our gender violence related programs, please contact: Shawnee Ziegler
Domestic Violence: Ending Violence Against Women in the Home
Food for the Hungry’s Child Development Program (CDP) helps women protect themselves and their children against physical and sexual abuse in the home. The program’s periodic home visits allow our trained professionals the opportunity to spot the warning signs of domestic violence. Because women have relationships with FH staff via other programs, they have a trusted resource to help them resolve the problem via counseling or more drastic protection measures, in severe cases.
CDP programs seek to prevent domestic violence from starting by working with the whole community, to change deeply-rooted attitudes about the worth and role of women. Seminars for couples help parents find healthy, non-violent solutions to conflict both in their marriage and with their children. Bible-based training courses in health, hygiene, nutrition and household finances build women’s self-esteem and help them see that they should not accept abuse as the norm. CDP also requires that all children attend school, which results in an increase in girls’ school enrollment and graduation rates.