In the Congo, when a woman is raped, it often means much more than the loss of dignity and the immense fear and pain of the experience. She will also often lose an important connection to her community. The safe houses that we build and support in the Congo help to create a new community for the women who have survived horrific experiences of rape.
A safe house is much more than just a safe place to live. It is a place to gather and share stories and a place to learn new skills, a place where women are offered a chance to begin rebuilding their shattered lives.
The first house we built in Nyamilima works with a very successful microloan/revolving credit program. Some $7,000-8,000 are always in rotation among the women who live there. They are given money in the form of a loan and then taught various skills such as sewing, basket weaving and bread making. The women work together in small groups and earn money using their new skills so that they can repay the initial loan. 98% of the loans are paid back in time and in full. The women are then able to start new projects and continue to build their financial self-sufficiency. These stories of hope create ripple effects as the women will often use the money they earn to improve the lives of their families and their home village. We have been humbled to learn time and again, that when you help a woman, you don’t just help that one woman, because she will turn around and help her whole community…
