"BETH ELPIA" - THE HOUSE OF HOPE
FGM stands for "Female Genital Mutilation". Every year, around 3 million girls fall victim to this terrible ritual. The project "Beth Elpia", House of Hope, is making a significant difference among the Sarha, a tribe in Chad.
Over 80% of the female population there suffer from this degrading custom, which has become an integral part of the culture, mainly due to a lack of education. The high level of social pressure makes it incredibly difficult for those affected to resist the tradition, and escape is often the only solution. Foyer Beth Elpia offers girls fleeing genital mutilation a safe home and enables them to have a positive future. There are currently over 70 girls aged between 9 and 17 at the foyer. The girls are supported on their way to independence through schooling or vocational training.
Until now, the young women of "Beth Elpia" have only had one training opportunity, namely the tailoring workshop. We were delighted to see what skills the individual girls have acquired there. Thanks to the donated laptops, they can now take part in IT courses, which is a huge benefit for their future careers.
Some of the young women have started training as hotel managers. Here, too, they will benefit from the knowledge they have acquired through the IT courses.
