Thank You! Thank you! Thank you!

On behalf of Every Girl Leaves Empowered (EGLE,) we want to extend our deepest gratitude to all of you who contributed towards our Christmas Trauma Resolution Day-Camp held on December 20th, 2024, for Liberian girls affected by sexual abuse.

The camp titled “Healing Through The Holidays” was a therapeutic success. A total number of 60 girls attended the camp. We had 7 support staffs on deck, including 6 volunteers and 1 paid staff.

The camp started off with the girls receiving psycho education from me through virtual group therapy. The session was on trauma healing and how to develop a Growth Mindset after something traumatic happens to us. They learned the importance of not living with a victim mindset, though they were victims of trauma. They learned that their futures have potential regardless of their current circumstances. They learned how to adapt by viewing the trauma as an opportunity for learning how to care for oneself, and how to heal after a major health crisis. They learned how to give themselves compassion rather than feeling helpless. They learned healthy ways to reduce anxiety, such as Reframing of thoughts, and deep(or diaphragmatic) breathing.

After the psycho education, the girls had a time of processing as a group, along with our Clinical Director, Pastor Favour Browne.

The camp ended with Emotional Regulation activities, such as swimming, arts and play time. These activities fall into a kind of therapy that is referred to as Experiential Therapy. A Confucian proverb states, “What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand.” This is the philosophy of experiential therapy. Experiential therapies integrate activities such as interaction with animals, movement, arts, and ropes courses as a part of intervention. Often, a piece of the intervention is learning through the process.

Swimming is empowering because it helps to renew trust (for those who are swimmers) and to build trust and confidence (in non swimmers). It helps to know that the water will keep us up and that there is no need to be afraid. That experience can then be transferred to other aspects of life. Trust building is a major part of trauma healing. Trauma expert Basel Van der Kolk shares the need for somatic, experiential intervention in healing trauma in his book, The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. The act of swimming helps to build mastery and stops us from feeling stuck.

We took the girls to a local park for the experiential part of the camp. For some of the girls, it was their first time swimming in a pool, so this was also a treat for them!

Though Liberia has many public beaches, rivers and creeks, the recreational facilities cost money that the majority of EGLE girls cannot afford. It was our way of pampering them for a day. They got to eat finger foods, play games with each other, and just relax in an environment safe from abuse.

We couldn’t thank you all enough! Some of the girls have written thank you notes that will be posted below, along with a few pictures from the camp.

We also want to share with you that we responsibly stewarded your financial contributions to EGLE. Out of the $5,000.00 raised, we spent $2,500.00 and saved $2,500.00 to go towards our Summer Camp which is our largest camp for the year. It runs for 10 days! The girls stay on site for the duration of the camp. We will begin fundraising for that in April. We ask that you please keep EGLE in mind for our Summer Camp. We will come knocking on your ‘financial doors’ again.

We must share that out of the $2,500.00 spent, we gave each girl $10.00usd to buy food for Christmas Day. Many of the girls come from homes where their parents cannot afford a Christmas Day dinner, so that money went a long way! For some homes, that money fed the entire family for that day.

The $2,500.00 spent went towards transportation (taking the girls from their homes to the camp site and recreation facility) including gas, payment for the facility, food, T-shirts and hats, stationery, and Christmas gifts for the girls.

May God replenish every penny that you gave to this very worthy cause! May your children never experience that kind of pain, and may our world become a healthier place. Amen!

As you read the handwritten notes from our girls, please offer grace for the spellings. Many of our girls are just receiving the opportunity to enter better schools. That is something that we have also been working on. We currently pay tuition for 5 students. We welcome sponsorship for more EGLE girls. Please inbox us if you are willing to help in that area. We will put you in touch with the schools.

Credit: Psychology Today