Rape is a weapon of the war in Congo, with many of the armed groups using the threat of HIV in addition to the destruction of rape. Testing and counseling for victims of rape is an important step to emotional healing.

or $48 for 1 month provide vocational counseling and training to the survivor for one week while she's in the hospital. She will learn new skills to support herself when she goes home, as she may not be able to do the heavy agricultural work she did before. She may not even know what is possible. This is a first step in the process of restoration and healing.

She may never have had the opportunity to attend school. This gives her the chance to learn to read, write and do basic math. It will enable her to return to her village with an accomplishment and dignity. Sometimes victims of violence are children. They, too, can attend school at the hospital if they’re there for awhile.

for a victim of rape.It may take weeks or months for her recovery.

Safe houses provide a place for women who've been raped to get counseling and referral to appropriate treatment. The counselors know how to help, and there's a place to sleep. This is important because there are no motels, and it's not safe to sleep by the side of the road.

Counselors are the cornerstone of the network of safety for women who have been raped or are victims of violence. They accompany a woman through the process, and continue to provide follow-up when the woman returns home.

This provides small-business training and skills and provides the equipment they need to go back to the village and begin to support themselves. It may be a sewing machine, or money for small trade capital, or a goat or small livestock. The woman is involved in all aspects of the choices she makes for her own future.

For less than $30 a month, you can help a victim of rape and violence rebuild her life and family. A woman can restore her support network, receive trauma counseling and gain skills to help her get back on her feet.