Each woman’s story is unique, but they all include more hardship and pain than anyone should ever have to face. War, rape, HIV, and poverty are things that these women know all too well. But now, for them, it is a different story. Now they have hope.
By employing these womem, Rwanda YFC has not only provided them with a source of income, but also a place for them to belong and feel accepted. We at Greater Vancouver Youth for Christ would like to join with Rwanda YFC and walk beside these women as they journey towards wholeness: spiritually, physically and socially.
“If you want to know the pulse and strength of Africa, spend a day with the women of a village. In the midst of deep suffering, domestic abuse, societal and poverty constraints, the women are the stability of Africa. They will carry the buckets upon their heads, touch the wounds of the sick, accept the burdens of helping the village survive - and all the while, they will be singing praises to God.”
~ Jena Lee
Hope in the Dark
HERE'S HOW WE WILL HELP...
Aim
To work with disadvantaged women in order to empower them to live lives of all fullness, spiritually, physically and socially.
Objectives Phase 1: Crisis Support
Phase 2: Advanced Life Skills Training
Phase 3: Micro-Credit Fund
Phase 1 Greater Vancouver YFC will work with Rwanda YFC in order to develop Phase 1 Crisis Support for the women already involved in the program. This will be a transferable program that can run with more women in the future, and will include: counselling, mentoring, advocacy, and basic life skills, and will always encourage self-reliance rather than dependence. For those able to go further, they will graduate to Phase 2.
Phase 2 A Life Skills program will be developed that will enable training to be given, allowing the women to assume a productive and fulfilled life. This will have a spiritual component as well as a practical one, and will include advanced life skills training, job training, plus further counseling, mentoring and rehabilitation in order to assist the women in breaking the cycle of poverty they find themselves in. As well, skills and gifts will be identified that could be used in the building of basic business plans, and developed into income generating ventures in Phase 3.
Phase 3 A Micro-Credit Fund will be established to provide small business loans to women who have been identified in Phase 2 as having the ability to take part in an income generating project. The aim will be to give these women the ability to provide for themselves and others, thus allowing them to break free from the desperate situations they are trapped in. Utilizing the skills and resources these women have gained during this program, as well as their own natural abilities, will give them the dignity to go forward with their lives and the ability to help others just like themselves in the future. It is expected that the loan repayment will go to funding further ventures in the future, providing sustainability for the program and help for even more women.
If you are interested in supporting this project, please click here to read personal stories of change from 3 Rwandan women and to learn more about the project.
