WINDHOEK, Namibia - The delayed effects of sexual and gender-based violence tend to manifest as a variety of trauma responses such as depression, medication addiction, or substance abuse, which is usually a result of the dangerous coping mechanisms that survivors employ to deal with the trauma.
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund supports the provision of psychosocial support, access to safe spaces/shelters and referrals to health services. On 3 June 2023, UNFPA supported the #BreakFree Anti-Violence Campaign to host a Sip and Paint event for 45 gender-based violence and femicide (GBV-F) survivors. The Sip and Paint was centered on the theme ‘Empowerment through Art and Expression’. The painting activity provided a safe and supportive atmosphere for survivors to embark on a healing journey through art.
The painting session was directed by Richardine Coetzee from Something Artsy, who explained that the canvas's white background represented the light that survivors emit. She also urged the survivors to use colors creatively and to choose hues that represented them.
Tashiya Angula, a motivational speaker, encouraged and motivated the survivors through music and a motivational speech. “Let your light shine in the midst of darkness”, she sang in the lullaby ‘This little light of mine.’
Writer and social activist Karen Lelly recited her poem, ‘The Beauty’. She told participants that she wrote the poem as solace for times when she feels overwhelmed by the outside world. She hoped that the poem would do the same for the survivors.
