Support 1,000+ Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Uganda

You have kept Edja healing center (Rape Crisis Center), the first of it's kind in southwestern Uganda, open and free for all victims and victors of sexual assault. Edja foundation continues to provide free medical, legal and mental health services. 

Counseling/Medical  

A social worker provides ongoing confidential therapy for girls and women who need it. These include home-visits, school visits, and a holistic wellness check for the victors. All victors receive medical interventions at the time of reporting and follow-up tests. In instances where the hospital does not have needed medications

S.A’s story as told by the Counselor

 S.A. is 4yrs old and was defiled by her paternal uncle who is 24yrs old. The parents to S.A. had gone for burial when they left their daughter at home. As she was home, her paternal uncle came and took her into their kitchen and raped her. When the parents came, she told them that her uncle had raped her and so the parents had to check for evidence, which they found. The parents rushed the girl to Katate health center, where she was admitted because her condition was critical. They provided her with Pep. When they reached at kanungu police station to report, The police directed them to edja healing center where they could receive counseling and legal help. The police then called the edja legal services advocate who went there and picked both S.A and  her father to the healing center. On reaching, we helped the girl get medical examination and we at the same time did counseling. It was so unfortunate that after the incident happened when the father took his daughter in the health center, the medical examination was not done at katate health center111 this was because the father to S.A never had money to pay for the examination. So basing on the examination that edja has done, the wounds that were created were healing because it was after a week that they showed up at the healing center

Legal

You have made it possible for our legal advocate to pursue cases that were previously discarded as “too tough.” We recently discovered a woman who had been trafficking girls as employees in her bar, and using them as sex slaves to her customers. Because of your support, and that of the community, that bar has been shut down, and the owner is currently in jail awaiting trial

Outreach 

Communities are educated about the effects, consequences, reporting, accountability and safety around sexuality and sexual violence. Our staff visits schools, grandmother clubs, townhalls, and creates radio programs to raise awareness. 

Thank you for standing with us in transforming victims to victors.

         Because of you, Edja healing center(Rape Crisis Center), the first of it's kind in southwestern Uganda, is open and free for all victims and victors of sexual assault. Edja foundation provides free medical, legal and mental health services. In addition to the services, we discovered that some girls are taken out of school when they report to law enforcement about their rape, because, most parents assume that a girl is no longer worth the expense of education after being defiled. You have also helped girls go back to school and become hopeful again about their future.

Counseling/Medical

Currently, a social worker provides ongoing therapy for seventeen girls. These include home-visits, school visits, and a holistic wellness check for the victors. All victors receive medical interventions at the time of reporting and follow-up tests. In instances where the hospital does not have needed medications, EDJA works with a private doctor to provide necessary interventions.

4 girls are sponsored to attend school due to being dropped by their guardians. One of the girls reported that her family accused her of being a prostitute and took her out of school, after reporting that her father had been raping her for over 10years.

Two girls were defiled and made pregnant. Because of you, these girls and their children are being taken care of, despite all the hardships they are facing, they report finding healing and hope.

A.D's story in her own words.

I was defiled at the age of fourteen when I went to the gardens to get sweet potatoes for supper. While I was in the gardens, the man appeared to me and asked to do sex with me. I refused and he forced me into the act. When I tried to make an alarm, he threatened to beat me badly. After that horrible act, the man threatened me not to say anything. I went back home and kept quiet about what had happened to me. So while at school, the school made medical pregnancy examinations and I was found pregnant. The school administration called my mother and told her about me and was sent from school to go and take care of my pregnancy. I was in senior one. So this time I had to speak out the one who had defiled me. My mom took me to EDJA but the man went missing. It was after some long time when this man appeared and Edja had him arrested. I am facing a challenge with my breasts which got an infection and currently unable to breast feed my baby. Edja is providing for the milk which I gives to the baby every time. I don't know what I would have done without Edja, thank you so much. God bless you.

Legal

We are currently following up on 16 cases. Due to corruption and incosistency in the police department, we have a harder time on convicting but it is improving. You have made it possible for EDJA to provide transportation to police officers for the arrest, in order to avoid charging victims money for the arrests. Because of this change, justice can prevail regardless of the victim's economic status. In addition, the motorcycle can now transport witnesses back and forth from court to ensure that the judges follow through with cases. Before your help, the judge would dismiss a case based on a victim's inability to appear or pay court fees, leaving them vulnerable to additional trauma.

The first case Edja pursued in 2015, has just closed last month, where the perpetrator got 10 years in prison for raping a 9yr old girl. This is to show how slow the process is, and would be nearly impossible for someone in this area to afford these services.

The most complicated case since we started was one of a juvenile perpetrator who was released back in the community because there was no juvenile facility in the district and the victims were not able to pay for transportation of the police. This particular perpetrator had raped two young girls, and was HIV positive. You made it possible for these complicated cases to get resolution and keep these communities safer.

Outreach

Communities are educated about the effects, consequences, reporting, accountability and safety around sexuality and sexual violence. Our staff visits schools, grandmother clubs, townhalls, and creates radio programs to raise awareness. We have reached over 300students and 200 adults in this outreach. The community is coming together in creating more programs that ensure safety of the girls and women.

Thank you for standing with us in transforming victims to victors.

Enough is Enough