There is more to Helga Than meets the  eye

KEY AREAS OF WORK ARE

Education

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Health and nutrition including Adolescent Reproductive Health HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections

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Youth empowerment

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Food security and improved livelihoods

Water and sanitation

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Institutional capacity strengthening and governance

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Digitization of the community.

ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Rescue of girls from forced marriages, Female Genital   Mutilation, poverty and other cultural practices that impact negatively on the girls. To date we have rescued more than 1300 girls

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Placement into schools, fundraising for their education, upkeep during school holidays and provision of personal effects and books ensuring retention to participate, perform and complete their education

Monitoring academic performance by visiting various schools where our girls learn, during education clinics, parents/prize giving days and perusing their term reports and advising accordingly.

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Creating awareness to the community on human rights with special focus on women’s and children’s rights

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Reducing FGM and violence against women and children through sensitization to the girls themselves, the women and community and especially incorporating men as most of them are pro FGM and providing a suitable alternative rite of passage without tainting the authenticity of their cultural beliefs.

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Carrying out ‘Speak Out Programs” which train girls to be able to express themselves to an extent of opening up and talk about their problems

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Guidance and Counselling especially on ‘Peer Counselling’. Seeking services from skilled persons for the very traumatised girls depending on their ordeals

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Carrying out a ‘Reconciliation’ process to persuade parents to re-accept their children back home

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Providing sexual and Reproductive health services by giving information and advice through formation of health and social clubs for boys and girls

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Advocacy and influencing policy- HELGA has actively participated in forums that have advocated in supporting girl child education and ending violence against girls and women.

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Economic empowerment for rural women through IGAs –bead and brick making and seeking market for these.

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Provision of plastic water tanks to women groups for rain water harvesting.

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Put up a Primary school for the rescued girls, drilled a bore hole, put up greenhouse, two dormitories, a kitchen and two permanent classrooms

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Partner with other likeminded organisations, individuals and government for proper execution of our goals

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Self esteem and self concept for girls Established “Speak out Forums” for girls

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Making informed choices and decisions

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Copying with peer pressure, criticism and praise

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Spiritual growth and development

Established “speak out” forums  and clubs for the girls to be assertive and confident

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Factors influencing self esteem, emotions   (Fear, anger and love), personality and personal appearance.

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Youth Training and empowerment.

CHALLENGES

Inherent negative Cultural practices

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Lack of permanent classrooms in our school

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High levels of illiteracy among the local  community

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Persistent droughts and migration patterns of the community coupled with over dependency on livestock as main source of livelihood

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Community leaders goodwill most offer ‘lip’ service

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Inadequate funds to implement our programmes

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Need for more training on capacity building for staff, Advisory Council and women groups in general to ease the handling of the vulnerable children especially the girl child

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Poor infrastructure resulting in accessibility to health facilities in girls home