Emerge Global: Design + Entrepreneurship for Girls Who Have Survived Sexual Abuse
the problem:
Approximately 100,000 minors are prostituted in brothels in Sri Lanka. Another 10,000 girls in Sri Lanka endure incest, as their mothers work abroad. Girls who take their abusers to court aren’t differentiated from those who’ve broken the law, and are treated as offenders in the system. During their trials, they are often detained in prisons or gated homes for their protection, loosing access to traditional education and facing self-employment or no employment as future prospects. Girls who have been abused in the home are more likely to allow a cycle of abuse to continue, falling back into abusive relationships or tolerating abuse of those around them. It is essential that girls who have survived sexual abuse in Sri Lanka have the tools needed to become confident and independent, and to end abuse in their own sphere of influence.
vital stats:
people impacted:
155people involved:
24why it's important:
During the summer of 2005, on a Tsunami-relief trip to Sri Lanka, I witnessed a reality I was not equipped to handle... a reality where young women, age 10-18, were cast out of their families, denied the right to formal education, and locked away for their own protection due to pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.
I founded the Emerge Bead Program to provide the tools these girls needed to become confident, respected, self-reliant members of society.
the plan of action:
Emerge Global aims to empower young women who have survived sexual abuse to rediscover and celebrate their personal beauty, develop their self-sufficiency, and become leaders within their own communities. The Emerge Bead Program enables Sri Lankan girls who have survived sexual violence or abuse and currently live in an institution to become jewelry designers through a curriculum that emphasizes personal discovery, leadership, and business knowledge, while generating savings for their futures. Our ultimate goal is to is to empower a generation of young women who have survived abuse to support themselves and their children while simultaneously equipping them with the personal, social, and financial capital to solve their own community's most pressing problems.
The jewelry, each piece unique, is sold in Sri Lanka and abroad with 50% of Emerge Global’s jewelry selling price goes directly into the designer's savings account, which she may access at the age of 18. The remaining 50% covers the cost of materials and product distribution, so that Emerge Global can support the healing of more survivors.
The Emerge Bead Program focuses on four core areas: entrepreneurship, life skills, mentorship, and community.
how you can get involved:
We are always looking for students to support the sales and marketing of our program participant's beautiful jewelry. If you are interested in starting an Emerge chapter at your high school or college, please email alia@emergeglobal.org!
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Comments
I love what you're doing. You took a relatively simple idea (jewelry making) and made it into a force for change ... Have you considered applying for a Do Something grant? Or perhaps even the Do Something Award? It's too late for the award this year but you should consider it for next year. You could win up to $100,000!!!
Thanks for your post! I did actually just apply for a Do Something Award so keep your fingers crossed! Do you have a project posted on Do Something?