BRINGING FREEDOM
Vulnerable Communities
What we do
We work in rural villages supporting vulnerable women and girls. Team members connect with these vulnerable and abused women, providing healthcare, counselling and vocational training, and empowering them to recover their dignity. Women and girls receive health care and support, tailoring training, small business grants, and other means of providing for their families. Self-help groups provide the women with support.
Some of the women become Village Leaders, helping other abused women and vulnerable girls. In the villages where we have an active presence, women are finding freedom and hope.
Our Strategy
We have a nationally led and run structure that helps these women and girls, providing support, advocacy, health care, practical support, housing, nutrition, education and economic empowerment.
Village Leaders are local women who are having their dignity restored. They help other marginalised women and vulnerable girls.
Community Health Workers work across two villages, providing antenatal care, hygiene training, immunisations, public health initiatives, HIV and AIDS awareness and co-ordinating medical clinics. They are on the key members of our programme caring for vulnerable communities. They are an amazing support to many and receive ongoing training so they can best serve these marginalised people.
District Co-ordinators ensure the functionality and effectiveness of the project in many villages, while the Field Manager oversees the co-ordination of all aspects of the project.
What Can You Do?
Our goal is to expand into more villages: supporting exploited women and protecting vulnerable girls;
ultimately seeing an end of this heinous practice.
1. SUPPORT A VILLAGE LEADER in a village
Just $250 supports a Village Leader in her role for an entire year. Watch the video below to hear how *N recovered her dignity, her life forever changed. Our International Women’s Day campaign each March, is a great opportunity to organise local events to raise funds to support these brave women.
2. SUPPORT A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER
Just $950 supports a Community Health Worker in one village for six months. CHWs have basic medical training and a passion for the vulnerable. They provide healthcare for girls, women and their communities. Much ill health and up to 80% of deaths of children under 5 are easily preventable. In a society where many are illiterate, education about the cause of disease is vital.
3. SUPPORT A VILLAGE
It costs $1,900 to support the operations of working in a village for one year, inclusive of personnel, training, resources, and initiatives such as advocating on behalf of these women and girls. You can support a whole village for a year, or a portion of a year. Often families or groups of friends commit to supporting a village for a year.
4. SPONSOR A VULNERABLE CHILD
Very vulnerable children are a particular focus. Where it is deemed safe these children remain with their families and are bussed to a local school that they attend with anonymity, and receive quality education in a safe environment.
Monthly sponsorship is $60, and covers tuition, bus maintenance, petrol and the cost of the driver. We invite you to help a vulnerable child begin their journey to freedom.
5. SUPPORT THE Girl's SHELTER
Girls who are particularly vulnerable live in a shelter home. Here they grow up in a loving and protected environment receiving nutritious food, education, and specialist care to help them heal from vulnerabilities they have experienced.
The shelter can accommodate 150 at-risk girls. Currently over 90 girls call this building 'home'.
People can donate regularly to the operations of the shelter home, ensuring a safe haven for vulnerable girls.
Stories From the Women
*Navnitha’s Story
Planning for her dedication service began when *Navnitha turned six. One of our social workers approached her parents, explaining the illegality of the system and the cruel consequences of such a dedication. The parents were under tremendous pressure by the local villagers to follow through with the dedication so they requested that their two daughters be…
*Jayamma’s Story
*Jayamma was 7 when her father told her she was to be dedicated. He could not afford a dowry for her, and he needed someone to look after him in his old age. The solution was to dedicate Jayamma to the temple goddess. The entire village attended the ceremony, yet Jayamma had no idea what was…
We Need your Support
These women and girls have the odds stacked against them from birth, but education and empowerment can restore their dreams and hopes, bringing transformation not only to them but to their families and to entire communities.