This December, the Emerge team is excited to be welcoming a new group of girls into our program! We will be launching our Beads to Business and Life Skills workshops at Salvation Army’s “Haven and Sunshine House,” located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Salvation Army home, which is well-respected by the government, provides shelter for children, adolescents, remand girls, and victims of sexual and gender based violence and human trafficking.
At the Salvation Army home, we will be working with approximately 20 girls at a time, between the ages of 15-18. We plan to work with girls who are currently in court cases without a scheduled leaving date, nearly all of whom have endured sexual abuse. Without the opportunity to gain formal education as they wait for their court cases to finish, it is very important that these girls gain the life and business skills they need to live on their own when they leave the shelter. In addition to the Emerge workshops, girls already receive classes in: Sinhala, math, English, applied theater, and sewing. Our program will complement this informal education to ensure they are ready for a safe and healthy transitions into society.