Your support for women like Rosalie means action, creating lasting change and building brighter futures.

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Rosalie is an ex-combatant living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who was forced to join the army aged 15. Photo: Arlette Bashizi/Caritas Australia

Help women like Rosalie thrive

I'd like to make this donation

I would like to give

can provide a survivor of gender-based violence with shelter, medical care and counselling in Lebanon.
a month can contribute to building a mobile hand washing station to support a community with clean water.

Other amount

will help vulnerable communities impacted by COVID-19 and poverty

Donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible

This year alone, there are estimated to be 388 million women and girls worldwide living in extreme poverty.

Your generosity can truly make a difference by:

Enriching young minds with literacy and numeracy skills, beneficial in finding future employment

Providing necessities, including access to clean and safe water, and food for nourishment

Funding shelters that provide food, accommodation, counselling, legal assistance, and referrals to other services, including health and education, for women and children survivor of violence

Training vulnerable women to develop livelihood skills that help them support themselves and their children as they reintegrate into communities, building their independence and resilience

How Rosalie’s life transformed

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Rosalie is an ex-combatant living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who was forced to join the army aged 15. Photo: Arlette Bashizi/Caritas Australia

When Rosalie from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was only 15 years old, she navigated battlefields and did all she could to stay alive.

In recent decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced ongoing political instability, violence and conflict, and the recruitment of child soldiers is all too common. Young girls like Rosalie are forced to join the army, trading their childhoods for guns.

When she left the army years later, Rosalie struggled to adjust to civilian life, with her childhood ripped from her and her education cut short by the war. She missed out on developing valuable skills and knowledge to help her secure employment and provide for her family.

Through the support of our partners, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and Caritas Bukavu, Rosalie was able to reintegrate into society and has now become an entrepreneur and a respected community leader.

In her community, she fights for gender equality and helps other women manage their money and start their own businesses. Her leadership is also inspiring other ex-combatants to overcome the trauma and violence of their past and to work towards building a more peaceful country for all future generations – for men and women alike.

Your generosity can empower women like Rosalie to break the cycle of poverty and inspire communities of women affected by conflict.

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Rosalie is now the president of aSaving and Internal Lending Community group (SILC) which provided a loan to start her business. Photo: Arlette Bashizi/Caritas Australia

Be a champion for women around the world

I'd like to make this donation

I would like to give

can provide a survivor of gender-based violence with shelter, medical care and counselling in Lebanon.
a month can contribute to building a mobile hand washing station to support a community with clean water.

Other amount

will help vulnerable communities impacted by COVID-19 and poverty

Donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible