The survivors and caregivers’ program was introduced in August 2023. Survivors refer to women and girls who have experienced one or more forms of sexual and gender-based violence. Caregivers are persons who tend to the daily needs of survivors. Our program specifically targets women, child survivors, and female caregivers of child survivors, including mother, or other female relations. Through the survivors and caregivers’ program, Allies in Development supports survivors and their families to hold perpetrators accountable, access healthcare services, shelters and address poverty amongst survivors and caregivers. Additionally, Allies in Development provides skills training, in-kind transfers and business grants to survivors’ living in poverty, who seek to grow businesses in their own area. Women and girls affected by violence often lose important livelihood assets, including household income and other support structures when they hold perpetrators accountable.
Violence causes severe harm to survivors, their families and society as a whole. Survivors suffer physical, health and psychological injuries, which in turn stresses family and state resources and wellbeing.
Violence causes socio-economic problems for survivors and their families. For example, healthcare costs are higher for survivors than women not experiencing violence. Other associated costs include legal expenses and loss of productivity for survivors and their families. Caregivers and survivors lose more workdays per incidence of violence than women not experiencing violence. In a similar way, survivors are more likely to become unemployed due to injuries, disabilities, and inability to work as a result of violence. Above and beyond this, violence affects survivors’ ability to complete their education, thereby limiting their potential for more lucrative employments.
Information and Referrals: Allies in Development assists survivors and their families in holding perpetrators accountable with information on justice mechanisms, and services for survivors, including shelters psychological support and medical care.
Violence Prevention Education: Allies in Development provides violence prevention education, including relationship and sex education to caregivers. Currently, we do this through community outreaches.
Skills Development: Allies in Development provides access to skills development and business mentorship to survivors who operate small and tabletop businesses
Advocacy: Our advocacy challenges the economic, socio-cultural and political structures that cause and re-enforce violence women and girls. Through lobbying,
campaigns and community outreaches, we create a platform for survivors and their families to bring their experiences and needs into focus. We target policy makers, community leaders and our constituents with our advocacy messages.
Parenting Education:Allies in Development addresses family violence specifically intimate partner violence, and violence against children in the home, by
providing violence prevention education to parents and caregivers, and mediating family conflicts. Program activities include parenting workshops and counseling for parents.
