As part of a new partnership with the inspirational organisation HEAL Africa, we will be delivering our WYLD training programme to young people who have been impacted by HIV and sexual violence from their Children’s AIDS Program (CAP). This partnership will be a chance to pilot two developments within our own WYLD programme: the inclusion of a mini programme around dealing with trauma based on the therapeutic approach called the ‘Tree of Life‘, and some more in-depth sessions on creative enterprise and setting up small businesses.
UNICEF statistics estimate that 13,000 children in DRC are living with HIV, and 64,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS (www.unicef.org/infobycountry/congo_statistics). Through a partnership with Global Strategies, HEAL Africa’s CAP is the only programme dedicated to children living with HIV in eastern Congo. DRC has also previously been labelled ‘the rape capital of the world’ (Margot Wallström, 2010). In 2011, it was estimated that 48 women had been raped every hour (American Journal of Public Health, 2011) with no signs of decrease; HEAL Africa hospital reported that cases of rape increased by 84% from 2013 to 2016 (Heal Africa, 2016). Not only do we want hope that time in our training programmes will see young survivors empowered and increasing in resilience, be we are determined to support them to have opportunities to flourish, to speak out and to see change.
Our first WYLD programme with HEAL Africa in April 2018 will give 30 young people a chance to gain skills to help them get jobs, start their own small businesses and let them be part of something bigger. For many of these young people, creating new opportunities to make money is the only way they will be able to pay the fees to stay in education. The Tree of Life approach will also help them to work through trauma, building emotional and practical resilience, and to go on to help others who have gone through similar difficulties.
We want to give 30 young people from the HEAL Africa CAP project the chance to be part of our training programme and we need to contribute £2000 to do it. Will you help us equip, inspire and support these people with the chance to change their lives?
