Photo by: Charlize A
From March 26–29, students from St. Joseph’s Catholic High School collected donations for the Hope of St. Joseph Shelter Inc. With the coordination of the school’s Social Justice Club, the student body raised $524.60 in Canadian currency (CAD), which totals to 657,619.15 in Congolese currency (CDF).
It was the high school’s first year of working with the organization. The cause was brought up by Social Science Department Head Ms. Isabella. With the aid of the school’s Campus Ministry––Ms. Walls, as well as Social Justice Club, the idea was fabricated became reality.
The Hope of St. Joseph Shelter operates in Bukavu, Congo and their zealous volunteers are solely focused on aiding abused and sexually exploited women and their newborn children. They provide safe housing, guidance, and skill development.
Three young residents at the Saint Joseph House. Photo via hopeislife.ca
Also known as the “St. Joseph Shelter” or “Saint Joseph House,” it became the byproduct of the serious consequences of the war that struck the Democratic Republic of Congo that took five million lives from 1994 to 2003.
In this area, rape has been used as a war weapon, and one of the undercover wars in the country is the implementation of these rapes as a combat strategy used by militias and para-militias. The American Journal of Public Health conducted a study in 2001 and estimated that nearly 2 million women had been raped, with women being victimized at a rate of of nearly one every minute; furthermore, a recent study proves that 40% of women had been raped and more than 1000 are raped everyday in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This provoked Fr. Donato Lwiyando to take action and establish the organization.
For more information on war-struck Congo, watch the video below:
The dedicated volunteers of the St. Joseph Shelter aims to “[facilitate] the integration of minors subjected to exploitation and sexual violence in the town of Bukavu, and their social protection.”
A volunteer at Saint Joseph House teaching the young residents how to sew. Photo via hopeislife.ca
Since August 2014, the shelter houses 33 girls and their children, all of whom are studying in school like other girls their age. This gradual reinsertion would help them not to feel cut-off from the reality of their contemporaries. At the shelter, they are also taught to sew, weave, make soaps, and take care of domestic animals.
Since 100% of the proceeds from Lasers are going to the cause, all $524.60 will be used to cover the basic needs of the young women in the shelter. $25 would cover food, shelter, and medical attention for one of the house residents; 21 women will be covered for a month just by the aid of the students of St. Joseph’s Catholic High School.
Gallery via hopeislife.ca