Becoming Your Own Hero in 2021
Over the last 5 years, SheHopes has taught self-defense to thousands of women and girls around the world in India, Kenya, and Rwanda. We’ve taught in pastures next to cows, forests, homes, primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, orphanages, churches, and over ZOOM.
Photo description: Girls in India are wearing colorful kurtas and dresses are learning self-defense. They are learning the Ready Position of their knees bent, hands outstretched in front of them one behind the other, as they learn to speak up for themselves and protect their own bodies.
One of the things that we heard over and over again was that girls wanted to continue practicing and learning self-defense. Teachers wanted to start after-school clubs where girls could practice these skills. We provided printed booklets with photos and instructions, but we wanted to do more. If teachers didn’t feel confident in helping the girls, the training slowed and so did the impact. Self-defense is too important for that - this is literally a matter of life and death - so changed how we taught self-defense in 2019.
Photo description: Group of 300 girls dressed in blue and red in primary school in Kenya are learning self-defense. They have their arms outstretched in front of them, their front leg bent, and leaning toward the invisible attacker as they learn to break free from someone grabbing them by both wrists.
We started teaching schoolteachers how to teach self-defense so THEY could be the self-defense instructors in their schools. YOU provided them with self-defense pads and our self-defense booklets translated into their language. We held an all-day conference in Kenya where teachers not only learned self-defense skills, but they learned HOW TO TEACH these skills. We also taught them how to recognize and help girls who have been victims of violence.
Photo description: Self-defense boxing pads, self-defense instruction manual in Swahili, and gift bags holding a book for school were given to the teachers who joined us for a self-defense training day!
Photo description: A smiling teacher in Kenya is wearing a pink and white dress and holding a self-defense pad and is ready to teach self-defense in her school!
Photo description: A smiling teacher in Kenya wearing a red and blue dress is holding a self-defense pad and is ready to teach self-defense in her school!
Photo description: A smiling teacher in Kenya is wearing an aqua dress and is holding a self-defense boxing pad in her hand above her head. She is ready to teach self-defense to her students.
At the end of 2019 we were feeling great! Teachers were working with girls in their schools, the impact wasn’t going to diminish, and we were so HOPEFUL for the next year…
And then 2020 happened.
Almost all of the events we planned were canceled. We canceled all of our international travel plans. Members of our SheHopes family went through losing loved ones, surgeries, health scares, solo parenting in a pandemic, business changes, homeschooling, and so much more. Everyone had to pivot in 2020, and SheHopes was no different.
GIF description: Ross Gellar from Friends moving a couch up the stairs and yelling, “PIVOT!”
We heard from our teacher friends in Kenya that they were sent home and schools were shut down to prevent the spread of the deadly pandemic. One teacher reached out to tell us that domestic violence and assaults were happening more and more during the stay-at-home order, where women and children had no escape. She found little ways to continue teaching self-defense to the girls in her community so they could learn how to protect themselves in dangerous situations.
In the fall, one of the awesome members of our Junior Board discovered a need for self-defense in the area of India where she was teaching English and Science over Zoom. The NGO that Anaya was working with graciously allowed us to meet twice with them virtually - once to teach the social workers, counselors, and school teachers who were working with children during the shelter-in-place orders in India. The girls asked good questions and responded to the training - and we knew that we had stumbled onto something.
Photo description: Two women - one holding the other’s wrist as she demonstrates how to break away and escape.
As we prepared to turn the calendar page to 2021, our hopes to go back India, Kenya, and Rwanda to resume teaching started to fade again. As much as we want to travel to see our friends in each country again, there are a couple of obstacles in our way. As I write this, India is still closed to visitors traveling internationally. Kenya and Rwanda are both open, but since we are still in a DEADLY GLOBAL PANDEMIC, the SheHopes board has decided that we won’t travel again until a vaccine is widely available for our friends around the world. Even if we were able to get vaccinated, we could still pass it to others. Many of the people where we work are immune-compromised from HIV, Malaria, Yellow Fever, Typhoid, and other factors. As the founder of SheHopes, I could never forgive myself if we took a deadly virus to the communities we love so much.
Anaya once again had the fabulous idea of filming ourselves teaching self-defense and sending it to the communities where we work to help women and girls learn and continue to practice these skills! We’ve heard that our videos are being shared with others, and we are so grateful to still be reaching more people all across the globe and helping them learn how to keep themselves and their loved ones SAFE from violence!
Photo description: Two women - one of whom is demonstrating using your hands like bird beaks to poke the attacker’s eyes to open up a chance to escape from danger.
But now it's YOUR TURN. We are going to teach YOU how to be a self-defense teacher in your own home and community. We're not going to teach you to be a MAN HATER or get into fights with others, but what we will do is teach you simple skills that can help KEEP YOU and and your LOVED ONES SAFE. We will be sharing these skills here as well as on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest!
No, you are not too old, too young, too inexperienced, too clumsy, too nervous, or too busy. These are self-defense BASICS. We want to teach YOU how to open up a CHANCE TO ESCAPE if you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Just remember - YOU are the superhero of your own story and YOU ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
GIF description: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman deflecting a bullet with her bracelet armor.
Things to keep in mind when you are learning or teaching self-defense:
1) Learning and trying something new is AWKWARD. I promise you - if you feel SILLY at first, you’re doing it RIGHT! It won’t feel natural…YET…but it will as we practice together.
GIF description: A brown dog sticking his head out of the car window with his lips blowing in the wind.
2) We are not trying to scare you. We hope that you never need to use these techniques, but when at least ONE out of every FOUR of the women and girls around the world have been the victim of violence, self-defense isn’t just a hobby or sport. It’s an IMPORTANT LIFE SKILL.
GIF description: Moira from Schitt’s Creek saying, “This is a CRITICAL moment”
3) Most importantly - HAVE FUN!
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
You are SEEN, LOVED, and WORTH FIGHTING FOR!
Here’s to HOPE!
GIF description: Beyoncé saying, “You ready?”
Photo description: Maroon background with three arms of different skin tones and fists raised in the air. Graphic says Worth Fighting For - Teaching Yourself Self-defense (and becoming the hero of your own story!) with the SheHopes logo.