The Survivors’ Story

I am from the North ... I am from the South ... I was ten when I became pregnant ... I was sixteen ... He was my father ... He was a tourist ... I was grade 9 when it happened ... I have never been allowed to go to school ... My son makes me happy ... I am ashamed to have a child

Despite their diverse backgrounds, the girls of Emerge are bound together by two common denominators: the tremendous strength and perseverance it takes to raise a child despite being children themselves, and the incredible community fostered at Emerge. Emerge aims to help these girls build an even stronger community, to show them their strength and value, and to help them create beauty in their lives and find beauty in themselves. We hope the next lines of their stories will read:

I am valuable. I am beautiful. I am strong.

The Situation in Sri Lanka

Due to lack of facilities, many minors are kept in the prison system for their own protection as they testify in court against the man who raped them. Furthermore, according to Save the Children, Sri Lanka, there are no systems and policies whereby children who have broken the law and children who are victims of abuse are differentiated, even by the judicial process. In effect, the systems in Sri Lanka currently offer no support and protection as the abused girls wait for their hearing, which often takes several years to complete.

Sarvodaya (our current partner in Sri Lanka) has worked to solve this issue, providing the only known home in Sri Lanka for young teenage mothers age 10-18 who have survived abuse. Ma-Sevana, their "home for mothers" provides a safe, healthy, and supportive environment for these young women and their children, aiming to make it possible for them to become self-supporting and accepted in the community. Coming as young as 11 years old, the girls of Ma-Sevana rarely have any source of income, are disowned by their families and unable to return to school.

Over the past few years it has become apparent that the 20 beds Sarvodaya can provide are simply not enough. Conversations with Sarvodaya, the National Child Protection Authority, Probation Department, and local NGOs have all indicated that there is a growing need for safe communities where these girls can live, learn, and thrive outside of the prison system.