European Medical Laser Association

Prof. Dana York DDS, MS, PhD, European Medical Laser Association, President of the New York Agape Foundation Lions Club visit Agape Frontier School in Tanzania

1. Abstract:
We went to a school – orphanage (in Tanzania, Cibo Village, Shinyanga ). The rescue children are put in danger of being victims of rape or forced marriage. The target is to make sure they are healthy, assist them, put them through school, and reintegrate them into society.
Some spend years here in the orphanage until something else happens.
However, this is not a gift, and life is terribly hard here. Sometimes they have no food. The water pump broke, and the school was interrupted by a lack of funds to pay the teachers. The need for scholarships, the need of love, healing, and just simple survival.
Keywords: GBV, child rape, PTSD, Violence, scholarship, child safety, education, happiness, survivors, healing.

2. Introduction:
By pure coincidence, we found this institution in Africa next to Shinyanga in Cibo Village (north of Tanzania). The police bring the children here after they have been saved from rape, forced marriage, clitoris mutilation. Some of the girls they come already pregnant from rape. In the school, we find boys as well for example 5 years 5-year-old saved from being put in danger by his grandmother for pedophilia prostitution together with his handicapped 6-year-old sister.

3. Method and Materials:
What those children have in common is that they have been victims of Gender Based Violence- that means rape, forced marriage, or physical mutilation. Orphanages have 74 beds but now there are 38 children in now of which 3 are under 1 year old born from rape. Most children are 10 – 12, a few 14, a few 16, the youngest is 4 years old. 3 girls give birth in the orphanage from rape. Of those children, 60% were saved from rape, and 10 % were relatives of the victim also in danger, put in the school ( younger sister usually).
The little children did not harm anybody and they have been abused each one with its own story, some of them are open to talk, and some are not.
Need of didactic materials, computers, wall info, books, internet, structure for education curriculum. Simple basic education.
Anecdote: A grown-up adult may defend themselves. A 6-year-old child, put in pedophilia prostitution by a grandmother, how can they defend themselves?
The most recent girl arrived in the orphanage pregnant by her brother that raped her for years. Her parents tried to kill her by starvation and poisoning.

If the youngest victim in the place, 4 years old, forgot all that happened to her and enjoys life, the 13-year-old is closed in her mind and blocked. She does not open to the girls.

She is pregnant. A few months later she gave birth to a baby girl and everybody helped her. By the emotion of birth and being busy she is better now. All the children indifferent of age stay together in the same large room with 74 beds. The beds are in stock of 3. By the window is a bucket with water, a cup and soap, and one towel, that is where they wash.
Getting out and walking about 40 feet we arrive at the bathroom with no running water or shower, … this construction is new
On the 7 miles of land, they are cultivating vegetables. They made a kitchen that was destroyed using inappropriate construction materials.
The children wanted “Fanta”. They did not have Fanta ever in the last 3 months ago … I told them that for the teeth this is a good thing. but still, they wanted, it to cost 12 $ at the hotel for 27 bottles of Fanta.

The children did not have mosquito nets. and the beds had no bedding.
The beds had only sponge mattresses. Antimalaria measures are not existent. We put in mosquito nets, bedding, and pillows. All the children were present, and teachers helped with the installation
The food for August is there but after … never know.
The TV was taken out completely because the girls would not do the chores.
There is a foundation for another bedroom, much needed.
The water pipe stops in a tab next to the building of the bathrooms without having any equipment but a bucket and soap.
Now that the Cuso took away the teachers because they finished funding, the children joined the local village school. The director does not often, and there is no more stuff, most of the time the children are alone now. The Akos Foundation owner, Rick, also a volunteer with Cuso, comes in on the weekends and helps. Without him, they would have all been dead by starvation. He made a dedication to the children by remaining in Tanzania to help.

4. Results:

They all have in common as being victims of GBV. They were surprised that that exists outside of Africa. GBV is present in all populations
70 % of the children were heavily affected by the trauma. 50 % of them were in shock and did not talk, and 95 % said they were visibly healthy. 5 % pregnant by rape. 2 % boys. The older children had signs of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. One classroom for all the children from 1 to 18. None of the children is mutilated. Neither of the children have AIDS. Out of 176 children saved, 19 already went to the University. 25 $ large quantity of vegetables would last the girls for a week. Fruit for 4 days would be about 20 dollars. Tatu and another one, 14 and 15, there are the last girls in, and both are pregnant by rape.
The paperwork is slow or lost on the way. From local to municipality. Legal help is not there for them. If the water pump broke it took 8 months to fix and the 3000 needed for repair was very difficult to raise. A kitchen is needed.
5. Conclusion
The need for a place like this is vivid, unfortunately, violence happens all around the world. Need for people to know about this place that saves children, specifically for GBV. The survivor arrives at the safe house/school/orphanage after they were put in danger most often by a member of their own family by rape, or forced marriage. Society does not include them. The family’s neighbors don’t dream of extending dinner invitations and play parties. Here we are with our hearts for them. The method of treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has 5 steps: 1. remove the victim from the place of violence; 2. Secure the victim’s belongings and legal rights; 3. Immediate busts of happiness; 4. Secure a life surrounded by love; 5. Keep busy and forget what happened to you.
The attention that they have to things shows that they are very smart children. These are good children. Smart. Hardworking and with an impressive attention span.

Good coordination also.
For younger children, post-traumatic stress syndrome is less powerful.
As older the children, the harder the psychological impact on the girls. I think is no worse thing that can happen to a child than to find that people supposed to love them will be there to abuse their trust. Remember again, life is not easy here. Lack of food and comfort is constant. Will repeat the need for scholarships, the need of love, healing, and just simple survival. Even as young adults they might be in danger as well. Adoption programs need to be put in place. Change in legislation on the model of Botswana “ very strict anti-violence rules”.
In conclusion, we hope that those children … or adults find happiness and forget about what happened to them. We wish them a happy life.
6. Bibliography
a. www.emla-medical.com
b. Akos – Agape Frontier website
c. Wikipedia
d. Testimonies locally

Pictures from the Orphenage Agape for the Victims of Gender-Based Violence in Tanzania.

1. one ensemble view of the building, the children, and the set-up. 74 beds in one room. Nothing on the walls, no school supplies, and very very poor conditions. a bucket for a shower, everybody in one room: youngest Victim is 4 years old, the oldest 17 years old. ay this moment two of the children girls are pregnant by rape. Doto just gave birth at 13. and there are another 2 toddlers born in the orphanage.

2. Naomi was put in danger by her grandmother and she is 6. Her brother and herself they came to the orphanage rescued from pedophilia prostitution where they were put in danger by their grandmother.

3. from the association “The  Voice of Albinos, in Kinshasa a mother, herself a victim of violence because she gave birth to 2 albino children.

The cause of the albino birth is the lack of Protein P during the pregnancy which leads to a lack of melanin in the child- which leads to skin and eyes problems. The most common cause of death of albinos is skin cancer. Lions Club sent them glasses. We discovered the switest crowd and a need for scholarships.

4. Dana and the children from the Agape orphanage having a party in the evening in 2022.

We are glad that the event organized for the Bastille Day at the Copacabana in New York collected 640 USD. Of course much more is needed as the constant need for food, school supply, legal help… and love. 110 – internet and phone voucher, 200 – a trip to the zoo,  10/piece school backpacks, 12/piece school shoes, as long as the money last. There is a donation button on the website. Please use it.

in August 2024, the water bill puts in danger the building, please donate to be able to save the home of those children.