Freely in Hope equips survivors of sexual violence through education, leadership, and storytelling skills that heal communities in Kenya, Zambia, and South Africa. Sharing their future hopes, survivors painted their story of transformation on their faces to show a physical representation of their transformed selves. Their paintings tell their powerful stories—from shame to courage, from despair to hope, from being unseen to being leaders in their community, and from victim to survivor.
My face is divided into two sides. The dark side represents moments in my life that were filled with fear, cluelessness, shyness and an abnormal calmness that was forced onto me by the environment that I grew up in. The white line that separates the two sides is a symbol of my point of transformation. The other side, full of different colors, represents love, life, laughter, diversity, joy, hope, dreams, focus and a free-spirit that is willing to live out all these values and bring them to other people. LYDIA, 23 Violence Prevention Specialist
I love beautiful flowers that’s why I painted a flower on my face. One side is with leaves and the other side is dry. This represents how I was dry but after meeting Freely in Hope and working on my deep inner fears, I am now turning green with a lot of leaves. CARRIVER, 20 Future Teacher
My face has two sides: the black side represents my dark past and the white spots symbolize the light that was trying to penetrate through. The many colors stand for the challenges that I went through. My blue-green eyes are a symbol of how I used to see things differently because of the challenges I faced. My mouth is painted like sun rays to show my point of transformation— that was when I met Freely in Hope. TRIZAH, 18 Aspiring Lawyer
I am a lion. I used a lot of white and black because white means peace, love and the beauty in me. Black symbolizes my brokenness before I transformed. Through Freely in Hope, I have been equipped to be a lion—a fearless leader that will work tirelessly to transform others. STELLAH, 21 Future Human Resources Specialist
The dark side represents my past before I met Freely in Hope. The bright side shining with little diamonds— representing the new Osikol after meeting Freely in Hope and being transformed. OSIKOL, 28 Future Lawyer
The black represents the challenges I faced earlier in life and how I used to feel like a failure. The green is for the good things that are growing in me. White stands for my journey toward forgetting my past in order to bring me to peace. Red represents my desire to help people in my community who are vulnerable to the same violence that endangered me. The glitter means that I will shine and make other people shine too. Pink affirms that people will notice and appreciate the change in me. FAITH, 21 Aspiring Journalist
My two sides are of a sad and smiley face. Black is sad and dark. Red represents the pain and the bloody tears that I cried. Devil horns and the crushing jaws represent the hell that I lived through. White on the other side shows my brighter side which is full of smiles and love. The butterfly is a symbol of my transformation. ALICE, 22 Future Nurse
Dark eyes represent how I used to view my life: dark and hopeless. The white rays symbolize peace and hope. Green represents the life in me. I now believe in myself and that I can give hope to others. The glitter shows that I am a star and I want to share my light to others. I also want to love and preach peace to others so that they may be restored through me. MARYANNE, 22 Future Social Worker
Black is for the trauma that I had faced. White symbolizes the hope that I see through my son, Eugene. Grey represents the support that I received in order to survive. White Is for all the people who helped me to reach the point to where I was fully bright—full of hope. EUNICE, 28 Counseling Psychologist
Black shows my past but I still had hope. Green symbolizes my growth in faith, leadership and courage. Blue is for the peace within me and the other colors symbolize the beauty in me. JENNIFER, 20 Future Human Resources Specialist
I have painted a representation of my heart, mouth and eyes because I believe that is where I have experienced the deepest pain. The bright colors represent the way my heart is right now. The black color in my mouth represent the negative words that people used to say to me and the negative words I would say to myself. The white heart on my lips represent the pure, unconditional and genuine love that I give to others now. The white in my eyes represent the tears that I longed to cry but I never could. MARYCLARE, 24 Communications Specialist
One side of my face is black and red, symbolizing the miserable and dangerous life that I used to live and how I felt like a burden to my uncles and aunts. The white boundary symbolizes the peace I found after meeting Freely in Hope. Green shows productivity in my life right now, blue is for the love that I both give and receive, and the stars are my hopes—I hope to shine bright for everyone to see. LINET, 19 Aspiring Doctor
My painting is of a cocoon which represents my past and the hard times I went through. The cocoon finally split and the blue butterfly coming out represents the hope that I represent. I am now becoming a better person and I am flying higher. URSULLAH, 20 Future Nurse
Black is for the dark past that I have been through. Red stands for the struggle for transformation and brown is the beauty that surrounds me. The green in my face symbolizes growth in all aspects of my life. White symbolizes the peace in me since I overcame my dark past. PAULINE Entrepreneuer
Until there is no victim of sexual violence. Join us in equipping survivors and advocates to lead in ending sexual violence. www.freelyinhope.org Photography by Sarah Waiswa @lafrohemien
Prints of the artwork available. All proceeds benefit the work of Freely in Hope to support the education and leadership dreams of these survivors of sexual violence. Contact: info@freelyinhope.org