Breaking the Cycle

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:8.

Amandla's Hope*

Amandla was young when her mother divorced her mentally ill father, but escaping one difficult circumstance is often only the gateway to the next in a cycle of vulnerability. Now divorced from Amandla's father, her mom struggled to stay employed, unable to provide for herself and her two children as a single mother.

Amandla and her younger brother were sent to live with extended family in a rural area of Zambia where she began attending a RiverCross Freedom Club at her new school. As Amandla listened to the stories portrayed in the audio dramas, she opened up, sharing with a club leader how she had been experiencing the same sexual abuse depicted in the story at the hands of her uncle who was now her caretaker. 

RiverCross leaders were able to report Amandla's uncle to the village authorities, placing Amandla and her brother in the care of a trusted foster home away from her abuser. By hearing her own story through a dramatized voice, Amandla was empowered to verbalize her own hurt and shame, and with the help of her RiverCross mentor, is now building a bridge to hope for herself and her brother, leaving behind the cycle of vulnerability. 

*Although the stories we share are true, some identifying details have been changed.