Meet inspiring young women who transformed from survivors into empowered activists – thanks to you!
Thousands of young women have been caught in the crosshairs of Colombia’s 50-year war. They’ve been uprooted from their homes, conscripted as child soldiers and targeted with sexual violence.
Clara was only eight years old when she was abandoned by her mother and forced to live on the street. Then, a paramilitary group took over her village. They told her she had a decision to make: work for us, or we’ll leave you to starve.
Thanks to you, MADRE and our local partners Taller de Vida provide trauma counseling and healing art therapy to former girl child soldiers and survivors of sexual violence.
Clara managed to escape after two years in the armed group, and she found her way to Taller de Vida. With your support, Clara attended dance and theater classes, giving her a vital, creative outlet to express and heal from her traumas.
“I still have a long way to go,” she told us. “But I freed myself through theater.”
Today, Clara is a bright, confident young woman committed to helping young girls like herself. She works as a theater instructor with Taller de Vida, teaching children the same exercises she learned to help her heal from her own pain.
Now, she says, “I’m a survivor, and I will keep moving forward.”
Thanks to you, Clara and other young women war survivors are transforming their lives from one of violence to one of peace. Thank you!
