Who are you trying to help? What issue are you trying to address?

We want to help girls in Bolivia who are victims of sexual abuse by providing a safe environment for them, a place where they will receive the support necessary for their development and rehabilitation. This is part of our overall objective of trying to eradicate all forms of sexual violence against children.

We want to provide support for girls which will strengthen their skills and prepare them for a fulfilling and productive life in the community, free of the shame that abuse creates. The “town” we intend to create will provide an environment that will help to ensure that the girls undergo comprehensive psychosocial development, and are provided with moral, emotional and physical support. There will be no room for violence and it will promote equality in all spheres of social, economic and cultural life.

The basic problems we seek to solve in this project and generally in our work, revolve around malnutrition, endemic diseases, problems of social integration, the absence of standards of behaviour and social interaction. We also want to emphasise the need for academic education of girls because abuse often means that girls become school dropouts with a minimal level of schooling. Indeed due to trauma after suffering abuse, girls are locked in their own world, a world of shame, silence, solitude and self-exclusion.

What is your project and how will it help?

We plan to create a safe environment for girls who are victims of sexual abuse. The “town” will be a place where they will receive training and regain their self esteem. There will be spaces for facilitators and medical areas, recreational areas as well as spaces for education and accommodation. The buildings will be equipped for the kind of training that prepares girls to enter society strengthened, healthy, with tools to live, grow and be productive, and with the ability to make decisions and live with dignity.

The project aims to restore autonomy, independence, acceptance, responsibility, self-esteem and healthy living to girls who have suffered violence.

The direct beneficiaries of the project will be 432 children between 4 and 14 who have experienced the agony of being sexually abused and 120 children of the same age who escaped attempted sexual abuse by adults and so are likely to be raped if left in the hands of the alleged abusers.

This will be a model project which will, we hope, be transferable to other areas with similar problems.

A full description of the project can be found in the attached document (in Spanish).

How can other people partner with you on your project?

We need financial assistance for the construction and equipment and supplies for the project, including clothing for girls.

Please detail the resources that you need.

$ 360,000. A more detailed budget breakdown can be found in the attached document, where costs are shown in Euros.