In 2005, a group from Answering the Call (ATC) traveled to the DR Congo to minister to rape victims and met a three year-old girl named Julie, who had been raped by soldiers and shot in the genitals when her village was attacked. Her grandmother traveled over 1200 miles to a clinic so she could be surgically repaired; however, when they arrived it became clear that her injuries were too severe for the clinic to repair. The team from ATC arranged for Julie and her grandmother to travel back with them to the US for surgery.
Julie's story inspired what is now called "The Julie Project," the construction of a shelter in Bukavu for women and children victimized by sexual violence. Most rape victims in the DRC are shunned by their husbands, families and communities, leaving them homeless with no ability to provide for themselves of their children. The shelter will be a safe place for the women to recover from the physical and emotional trauma of rape and will provide the educational and vocational training they will need to rebuild their lives.
Although progress has been made, the project is not yet over. Check back here in the future for more information about how the Julie Project is coming together and ways that you can get involved.
MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON!