Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Nalutaaya.
Hi Vanessa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My name is Vanessa, and I was born in Uganda. I was nine years old when men in my family began abusing me sexually. They told me they were doing their job to prepare me for marriage. When I told my grandmother what was happening, she told me to be quiet. When I asked my older siblings for help, they all said the same thing be quiet. I even told a neighbor, but she didn’t help me either. One day, I decided to report the abuse to the police. I went to the police station and, although nervous and scared, I told the officer everything that had happened. When I finished speaking, he looked at me and said, “I don’t know what to do with you.” I was asked to repeat my story to several other police officers. Nobody seemed to know what to do. Eventually, an officer took me to the police clinic for an examination. They now had proof of what had occurred, but they still didn’t know what to do. Because I was not safe at home and no organizations could shelter me, the police placed me in a jail cell, where I stayed for about two weeks. Eventually, they took me to a probation officer who placed me with an American family living in Uganda. Ultimately, that family adopted me and brought me to the U.S.
Today, my parents and I are trying to end sexual violence against children in Uganda. Our nonprofit organization, Rescue One More, puts girls on a pathway to safety, justice, and healing. We’re also working to end sexual abuse in Uganda, once and for all, through initiatives focused on prevention.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Justice is challenging due to corruption within society. Also, families living in poverty can be easily persuaded to accept payment from perpetrators in exchange for them to drop charges of cultural attitudes of more than 1 in 3 girls, 1 in 6 boys. Big problem. Acceptance/swept under the rug/turn a blind eye/shameful. Stigma. The good news is that we bring community leaders from various backgrounds (i.e., police, child protective services, emotional and medical healthcare providers, lawyers, social workers, etc.). We’re seeing an increase in accountability, which has decreased corruption. We’re also excited to see our multi-disciplinary teams working together to educate families and communities about sexual violence and address the stigma that survivors experience. There have been rugged roads throughout the work, such as seeing the girls the Rescue One More receives them. The rest of the journey of Rescue One More has been blessed with everyone who has helped us come this far! It has not been a smooth road because you learn to appreciate every situation when you come from nothing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Rescue One More?
It’s hard to imagine, but more than one-third of all girls in Uganda experience sexual violence. It’s an issue that affects one in six boys as well. Resources for children seeking help are limited and often too costly to pursue. Those suffering are often silenced by their communities and forced to endure ongoing abuse. We’re on a mission to change this. Working in collaboration with the Ugandan Church, local leaders, and partner organizations, we’re providing survivors with a pathway to safety, justice, and healing while working to end child sexual violence. Founded by a survivor, Rescue One More provides children with a path to safety, justice, and healing while working to end child sexual violence. Using a community-driven approach, Rescue One More brings local leaders together to offer coordinated and streamlined responses to abuse, ensure successful investigations and minimize additional trauma to child survivors.
Our Mission — Safety. Justice. Healing.
Working together, members of local community action teams (CATs) meet the immediate and long-term physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of child survivors of sexual violence.
Our Vision – An End to Sexual Violence Against Children (SVAC) in Africa. Can we bring an end to SVAC and abuse in Uganda? We believe the answer is yes!
Using evidence-based strategies focused on ending SVAC and abuse. We believe we can prevent children in Uganda from ever needing our services in the first place. But Uganda is just the beginning. Our vision is to bring an end to SVAC across the continent of Africa.
Help bring safety, justice, and healing to children experiencing sexual violence by visiting our website Rescueonemore.com and all the social handles are @RescueOneMore
Who else deserves credit for your story?
I would love to thank God first by accrediting everything to Him. I also want to thank our partners on the ground in Uganda for leading our CAT teams and providing child survivors with safe shelter and psychosocial support. I’m also extremely grateful to every donor supporting our mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rescueonemore.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/rescueonemore?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/rescueonemore?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/RMyaa3GRsr4
- Other: https://rescueonemore.kindful.com/
Image Credits
Britton Hardcastle
