Owing to cultural restrictions, women in Uganda live in situations of discrimination and poverty. They often stay in violent relationships due to lack of alternative means of survival, fear of divorce and hope that their partners will change. At Voice of Women Uganda (VOWU), we empower women and girls to understand and exercise their rights and abilities and we provide them with tools to help them exercise these rights.
When women go through domestic violence, they get devastated, become hopeless, are isolated and remain at constant risk of harm. Even in cases of extreme violence, women often do not leave home because they feel that they have no other safe place to go without losing respect and dignity. So, they offer to remain continuously abused sexually, physically, mentally and psychologically. Because of this, they have no opportunities to grow personally and economically.
Women who are experiencing violence will be equipped with essential skills and knowledge to reduce their dependency on perpetuators that often make it impossible for them to escape abusive relationships. They will be trained in skills of self defense, vocational and personal identity and awareness. This will provide them a safe and productive environment in which they can gain financial independence, self-development and economic growth.
Through this project, the confidence and self-esteem of victims and survivors of violence will increase, they will keep together, support and help each other to flee from abuse and to break the isolation caused by violence and insecurity. With skills, knowledge and continuous counselling, these women will rebuild new lives.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
