A new future for survivors of abuse, South Africa

The Ikemele women empowerment program (meaning "to rise up") continues to empower women who have survived abuse (GBV/partner violence/female sex work) to heal from their trauma and become financially independent – reducing their risk of relying on an abusive partner again.

As an initiative to help protect these women further, we held a self-defence session conducted by Childline self-defence instructor Ms Ntswaki Menyuku. This session educated the women on crucial survival tips should they find themselves in a dangerous situation.

 The workshop included learning about:

1. Vigilance: Part of  being vigilant is knowing how to manage personal boundaries. That means being able to establish a physical zone of safety – in today’s context, this zone of safety is called social distancing.
2. Freedom: Women’s self-defence ultimately gives women freedom, as they are able to defend themselves against mental, emotional and physical challenges. 
3. Empowerment: Women who train in self-defence feel empowered. They are resilient, able to handle all types of adversity, whether big or small. This boost in confidence is due to the  physical and mental skills learnt in women’s self-defence classes.
4. Knowing Their Options: In self-defence classes for women, they learn a variety of crucial skills. This includes what preventive measures can be used or what appropriate countermeasures can be applied when being assaulted.

Lesedi La Batho was able to help these women thanks to YOU - our faithful supporters of this very special and crucial program. Thank you for being the reason these ladies continue to rise up!

These 10 women enrolled in the program beginning of  2022 and have learned multiple skills such as sewing and beading, computer literacy, social relief and small business assistance and life skills. Where required, some of the women have access to one-on-one sessions with one of our Social Workers. This too, is made possible by your donations and a generous donation from a longstanding partner of ours, Rays of Hope - a foundation based in Frankfurt, Germany.

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