Gender Equality Sierra Leone Project #33083

Help Women & Girls Escape Domestic Abuse and SGBV

by Unsilenced Voices

Help Women & Girls Escape Domestic Abuse and SGBV

Project Report | Jun 7, 2021
We are pushing through

By Michelle Jewsbury | CEO

Hey there!

My name is Michelle Jewsbury and I am the Executive Director of Unsilenced Voices; a nonprofit organization that implements shelters, sensitization programs, legal assistance, vocational training, medical and counseling to victims of domestic abuse and sexual gender based violence worldwide.

Over 20,000 women have lost their lives due to domestic violence since 2003. I almost became one of those women. In 2015 I summoned the strength to break the cycle, leave my abuser and share my story, which is what led to the start of Unsilenced Voices.

Currently we are fundraising for a National Domestic Violence Awareness Tour taking place in 2022. This tour is essential to the safety of our community because it will

give people the ability to hear real stories from survivors
increase awareness about domestic violence and human trafficking in the USA
demonstrate how domestic violence is more than gender discrimination
help people understand the worst possible outcome, people losing their lives.

I would like to invite you to join us on July 22nd, 2021 at Bears Best Country Club in Las Vegas for a fundraiser that will impact hundreds of thousands of people. There will be lunch, cocktails and lots of opportunities to network.All proceeds from this event will go directly to the 2022 Awareness Tour. Our goal is to raise $60,000, but we need your help.

RSVP TODAY- I get it, time is your most valuable asset.If you can't come, consider contributing at least $500 and your name will be highlighted at the event!

www.unsilencedvoices.org

You have the opportunity to speak up and make a difference. Join us and Unite to stop the separation.

- Michelle Jewsbury

ED & Founder of Unsilenced Voices

Here is our current project information for Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Rwanda:

With the help of the Ark Foundation in Ghana, we are now doing monthly sensitizations with the Kayayei women in Accra. These women typically live in very harsh conditions with lack to resources and education. Unsilenced Voices is providing a safe space to report any injust and educate these women about their rights.

Children whose mothers are survivors of domestic violence received school materials under financial support of UNSILENCENCED VOICES in Rwanda. They are happy, thankful and promised to work hard at school so that they will make their mothers so strong more than they are now.

In Sierra Leone, We have began a program call SINAVA Women. This is a group of women formed by Unsilenced Voices from the out cast of Bo city, aimed at empowering our women and girls through sustainable livelihood.....

"It feels amazing to know when you're actually growing as a woman.
To recognize you're making better decisions .
Our culture needs to be influenced by women who are wise, resourceful, accountable, secured in their womanhood and aware of their feminine power.."
And so we observed our first official opening yesterday of which our able Director Phillip Momoh and our Manager Tejan Kabia were present, and also the Area chief, Religious leaders and other stakeholders were in attendance and they all made a statement on the theme " A woman is the full circle, within her is the power to create, nurture and transform"

Links:

website

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Feb 17, 2021
Expanding to the USA

By Michelle Jewsbury | CEO

Secondary school debate in Sierra Leone

Join Unsilenced Voices and affiliate partners in providing education and resources to the community and survivors of domestic violence in the USA in 2021/2022.

Operating in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and soon in the USA, Unsilenced Voices works with partners to implement shelters, sensitization programs and pro bono legal assistance through a network of attorney volunteers. Additionally, vocational training, medical and counseling are provided for victims of domestic abuse and sexual gender-based violence.

A large part of Unsilenced Voices’ mission is collaborating with existing organizations to educate the community. “As a society, we need to stand up and speak up together. We want women to know how to get out. They don’t have to stay where they are. In addition to escaping to shelters, they need to know how to file restraining orders, how to create a resume and fill out job applications,” says CEO/Founder Michelle Jewsbury.

During the COVID-19 virus epidemic, there has been a surge in domestic violence cases worldwide. The French Interior Minister has said there have been a 36% increase in police interventions in Paris after the lockdown was enforced. In Australia, Google has seen an influx of 75% of searches for domestic violence during the lockdown. National Abuse Hotlines in the USA and UK have seen a dramatic increase in calls. We need to bring awareness to this together.

We know that philanthropy is an essential part of your approach to corporate responsibility. It is important to improve access to health and enhance the quality of life in our communities. By partnering with us, we can provide the education needed to stop this injustice. We plan to work with locally ran organizations in 12 cities across the USA over the course of 12 months to provide training to members of their communities and survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking. We invite you to join us in creating a world where we can share our stories of survival, celebrate our safety, and stop the cycles of abuse. Thank you for your constant support

Links:

Unsilenced Voices website

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Oct 22, 2020
Expansion During COVID

By Michelle Jewsbury | CEO

In Sierra Leone...
The women and children in the village are grossly underserved and are therefore plagued with multiple deprivations, including but not limited to the lack of access to good health, education, justice, and financial services.
Covid-19 intersecting with other cultural variables, their vulnerability to poverty, mental distress and Gender Based Violence continues to fester.

To make our village interventions more strategic with efficiency-level impacts, we are facilitating the formation of a "Women's Cooperative Group/Organization" in the village consisting of thirty vulnerable young women and girls.

This will serve as a vehicle through which sustainable change/ development can be inspired. This will stay with them even if we stop going there.

Objectives:
* To train and empower young women volunteers on DV/GBV issues, who will inturn raise awareness, identify, and support DV survivors in the village.
* To mobilize and inspire a sense of cooperation among women and strengthen a unity of purpose for social action/change.
* A platform to continuously assess the needs and concerns of survivors/ women and girls and link/ help with available local/ external resources.
* To facilitate women's development and financial inclusivity through; small scale farming (what over 80%of rural women do), small zero-interest loans, reproductive health/ birth control trainings etc.

ALSO
We have facilitated a group for farming called the Women in Village Emancipation Strategy. The project will focus on building sustainable community based systems and structures that drive the protection, empowerment and development of women and girls.
The GOAL is to make rural women self-sufficient and Violence free. Achieving this will also mean; improvement for their families- children (girls) and the community.

OBJECTIVES:
* Get women to think and work together, and support each other in the face of DV/GBV
* Increase massively the dignity, self worth, confidence and moral of women.
*Institute a local"Savings scheme" to increase access to finance.
* Establish a "seed bank" for sustainable farming.

Right now, there's massive support from the community stakeholders to make this project a tremendous success!

In Rwanda...
With the support of Unsilenced Voices, IDA Rwanda has carried out sensitizations against domestic violence and sexual abuse. 20 domestic violence and sexual abuse survivors, met and shared testimonies. They decided to stay together and raise their voices against domestic violence and sexual abuse. Supported by Unsilenced Voices, at the end of sensitization, every survivor received a mask, T-shirt, soap , maize flour, palm oil, salt...They decided to be community mobilizer advocates and fighters against domestic violence and sexual abuse. IDA Rwanda and all survivors are very thankful to Unsilenced voices for supporting this activity.

In Ghana...
Unsilenced Voices is helping to support The Crises Center with the Ark Foundation
This month we have helped 5 Clients on waiting list in need of financial support to start a business
At the shelter, one pregnant girl who will due soon and a Nursing mother have received the care they need.
Diapers
Toiletries for bathing and baby care
Medication
Antenatal Care
Feeding and Utilities

Links:

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