Help Me Impact Survivors

I recently registered for a study abroad program that is five weeks in South Africa (SA). This is a once in a lifetime experience which will equip me with the tools I need to make a difference to survivors of sexual violence in both Canada and Africa.

I came to Canada in 2014 from Kenya, where my family had fled as refugees after the war broke out in Congo (DRC). I have never lost my connection with and concern for the DRC. In that country, sexual violence is rife. I am committed to a future where I can assist and fight for sexual violence survivors. SA, like the DRC, is often referred to as the ‘rape capital of the world.’. However, unlike DRC, SA has well-established organizations that offer services for sexual violence survivors as well as innovative programs. As part of our trip, we will be engaging with these organizations and people. This will be an invaluable learning experience for me and provide me with both ideas, the cultural competency, I need to work to empower survivors and fighting against sexual violence in the future.
The DRC, South Africa and Canada share a colonial past. However, of these three countries, South Africa is the most advanced in terms of efforts to decolonize and in terms of reconciliation and rehabilitation programs. Learning from this will be ideal for cultivating skills for the activism I want to engage with in the future. With your help, I will be able to take up this opportunity, and I will be able to further my goal of working for the survivors of sexual violence and become part of the reconciliation efforts in both DRC and Canada. Any donations, no matter how big or small will help me get closer to my goal of impacting survivors to walk in their destinies.
I am committed to programs that empower women. On a Thursday night of 2018, I was invited by the Saskatoon Open Door Society to share my story about how I moved to Canada with a group of beautiful women at the YWCA. Although I feel that sharing my story is important, I did not know what to expect from this unique audience. For the first time, I was going to address ONLY women who had experienced some violence, rejection, betrayal and abuse. At first, I expected to see sad and depressed faces. However, to my amazement, these beautiful women were filled with e sisterly love. After sharing my story, I answered their questions. Suddenly, one of the ladies asked, “Are you a Christian?” I answered, “yes.” “Would you like me to pray for you?” “Absolutely!” I replied. Here I was supposed to comfort these precious women who endured the worse things we could ever imagine, but instead, I was the one being comforted!
That same year, I learnt about the Noble Peace Prize Winners, Dr. Dennis Mukwege and Nadia Murad. Dr. Mukwege is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), my country of origin. He is known for treating sexual violence survivors and their children. Sexual violence destroys victims physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The more I read about Dr. Mukwege, the more I became inspired to do something about sexual violence survivors.
The following year, I began researching gender and sexual violence in the DRC. Although the DRC was referred to as the ‘rape capital of the world’ in 2017, the #MeToo movement proved that sexual violence is a global issue. Therefore, I became determined to do anything I could – even if that was just a simple thing: such as putting a smile on these survivors’ faces. For instance, one precious lady from the YWCA told me that my story motivated her to go back to school. I want to continue not only to put smiles on people's faces and to encourage them to strive to move forward, but I want to gather the skill and experience to do so. Please help me do that.