Fifteen years ago, I made a career shift that completely changed me. Having worked with numerous nonprofits in Kenya and Zambia as a filmmaker, I was going in and out of homes, in and out of villages, and in and out of communities, listening to heart wrenching stories from survivors of sexual violence.
Sexual violence doesn’t just leave physical scars, it can have a deep and lasting impact on a survivor’s mental health. Without understanding the devastating effects of trauma, we may unintentionally cause more harm.
More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18.
In 2023, we directly impacted over 6,000 people with programs and resources that empower survivors and end sexual violence worldwide! But we didn’t start here…
At Freely in Hope, creating safe spaces for children is at the heart of our mission to prevent sexual abuse and foster safety for communities. In Kenya and Zambia, we recently launched groundbreaking Child Protection Programs equipping faith leaders with the tools and resources to protect children from harm and foster environments where they can thrive.
Every year, Freely In Hope commemorates the International Day of the Girl that focuses on empowering girls and women to use their voices in their communities to speak against injustice. This year, we had the privilege to partner with Ujamaa Africa and Imarika Youth to empower girls in Kibera, Kenya to learn self defense skills.
On International Day of the Girl this year, Freely in Hope is empowering 300 girls through self-defense trainings in Kenya and Zambia. Learn how you can promote safety for girls!
Rape culture is real — the words we say may be unintentional, but careless comments, lack of support, and judgmental attitudes cause great harm. Many survivors are harmed emotionally and psychologically because of the myths, stigmas, and stereotypes that are dominant in a patriarchal culture.
As parents and caregivers, we are not in complete control over what happens to our children, but it is our responsibility to protect our children by deciding which adults have access to them. Healthy relational boundaries are a necessary factor in preventing child sexual abuse. These boundaries determine and gauge the health of all relationships.
Learn more on how we’re ending sexual violence in our communities! Subscribe to our newsletters to find out how you can get involved.
