"Cross the border - fight abuse"

Today in eastern Congo, a woman will risk rape to venture from a refugee camp and gather firewood to cook food for her family. What will you give up to protect her from rape?

Today in the North Kivu region a family from an ethnic Bunya village will face an attack by their own government and have to flee from their home. What will you give up to protect this family from attack?

Today will you join the thousands of people who have chosen to give one thing up and donate the money they would have spent to protect civilians in  the eastern Congo?

Today, let us stand against genocide and proclaim the rights of women and children in the eastern Congo.

You can donate now to the victims of rape and war in the eastern Congo.

You can say no to this crime against humanity by sponsoring one refugee women from the Republic of Congo with R150 per month. This money will help them learn skills to enable them to take care of their children or start a small business and make a living in South Africa.

Or you can host an event to let people know about Women Across Borders and what we do and encourage them to make a difference in any form.

100 percent of your gift goes directly to the mentorship and sponsorship of refugee women Program, which takes a unique approach to filling the gap between humanitarian efforts and the physical protection of civilians.

Women Across Borders, in solidarity with abused women and girls in the DRC, join hands to say no to violence against women and children.

We acknowledge that human rights are women’s rights and know that one woman can change one thing but many women can change many things.

We acknowledge that Congolese lives matter and are precious to us.
For decades, extreme sexual violence against women has been pervasive in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and local authorities do little to stop it or prosecute those responsible.

"Violence against women seems to be perceived by large sectors of society to be normal", "Women are gang raped, often in front of their families and communities. In numerous cases, male relatives are forced at gun point to rape their own daughters, mothers or sisters,”.

After rape, many women are shot or stabbed in the genital area.

Although the DRC parliament outlawed sexual violence in July 2006, "little action is taken by the authorities to implement the law and perpetrators continue to enjoy immunity, especially if they wear the State’s uniform,"

Being part of this campaign will allow you to experience change without being part of the victim’s misery.

It is time to speak for our mothers and sisters, they have been speaking but none seems to hear their voices. And that’s why Women Across Borders is taking the first step to allow women and men from all walks of life to be part of this initiative and make a difference to a woman’s life.

• Adult literacy
  This project is aimed at teaching refugee women and girls how to speak and write English. Language barriers are a crucial factor in a refugee's life and determine how easily one is integrated into the new community, and can interact with locals.
  
  Overcoming this will help many refugee women and girls to communicate and further their study formally and informally. It will help break the walls of xenophobia in our community. Computer programmes will also be implemented with the aim of providing sufficient skills that are in demand in the 21st century's economic market.
  
  
• Arts training
  The arts project is aimed at creating a platform of economic opportunities for women. They are taught how to start an SMME in any area that they show proficiency. The course helps the women to look after their children and family.
  
  
• Leadership workshops
  Women Across Borders will be hosting workshops and training days that vary in topics - for example - family planning; women and sexuality; how to save money; HIV and AIDS prevention methods; etc.
  Participants may be of mixed gender depending on the topics. Each workshop lasts for two days and participant age range is from 20 – 30 years.