Two Worlds joined by One MovementBy: Amanda Van DortEmerge Lanka Foundation Country Director “I am alone. I miss my family. I feel misused. I don’t understand my feelings. I am not comfortable in my skin. My desires have been shattered. I see no way out. I cannot continue. I don’t want to be.” I have heard these words from our girls. I have felt these words in myself. An outsider wonders where do you begin? Why Emerge matters… HEAL- Our Staff It takes an extremely unique individual to work with those that have been traumatized. You must possess the ability to be compassionate and level-headed. You have to take in stories of pain, to feel but not be overwhelmed. You must be willing to enter a world of confusion, and provide strength when you feel none. Our staff encompass these abilities. Time and again they give hope by being there. Their presence alone, a small touch or smile, is enough for our girls. EMPOWER- Our Programs Emerge provides skills and resources to an extremely vulnerable population. Beads-to-Business provides occupational skills and economic independence. Life Skills equips the girls to think analytically about their bodies, their situations, their goals, and so much more. Through Mentorship their feelings are acknowledged, and their way of thinking developed and reinforced. Emerge Lanka Foundation is a full program that has been designed and refined to change lives. After each workshop the girls walk away with something they didn’t possess before. They have gained knowledge, and thus a greater ability to reach their potentials as women, as mothers, as professionals, and as contributable members to Sri Lankan society. EMERGE- Our Girls Our story is their story. With each let-down and each success, the girls are transformed into who they want to be. They leave the shelters and are initiators of change. They can begin their lives once again. They encompass a true feminine spirit, one of confidence and nurture. Past participants remind us why we do what we do. They prove that overcoming is an achievable process. Battered, but not broken, they continue on. And so does Emerge, one girl at a time. “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” – Robert KennedyJoin the Movement.
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