The Aurora Women’s Resilience Initiative

Tanzania is an internationally supported initiative delivered nationally to strengthen emotional wellbeing, safety, and community resilience among women and girls across Tanzania.

What We Are Planning

The Aurora Women’s Resilience Initiative

Tanzania is an internationally supported initiative delivered nationally to strengthen emotional wellbeing, safety, and community resilience among women and girls across Tanzania. Led by the Aurora Impact Foundation, a Canadian non-profit organization advancing women’s rights, leadership, and justice, the initiative brings together global expertise, local legitimacy, and a decade-long evidence-based methodology.

The initiative is delivered in partnership and support of the Rahmatullah Children Advocacy and Support (RACAS) Foundation, a trusted Tanzanian civil society organization operating across Dar es Salaam and Pwani. Under the leadership of Founder and Executive Director Fatuma Juma and Managing Director Halima Msofe, RACAS has grown from a grassroots initiative into a credible rights-based organization with deep community trust, strong government relationships, and a proven track record in women’s empowerment, child protection, and gender equality. Their community-centered, gender-transformative approach ensures that the initiative is culturally grounded and locally owned.

Impact

THIS PROJECT IS CURRENTLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND FUNDRAISING STAGE WITH POSSIBLE PILOT IN September 2026

At the core of the program is Enhanced Resilience Training™ (ERT), a trauma-informed, embodied resilience methodology created by Master Dean Siminoff, a 7th Dan Black Belt and Grandmaster Candidate with more than 30 years of experience in martial arts and instruction.

ERT is grounded in Polyvagal Theory, developed by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, who has formally endorsed ERT for its alignment with evidence-based principles of nervous system regulation. Supported by Martial Arts for Justice (MAJ), a Canadian registered charity, ERT has been delivered for more than a decade in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, and Canada, reaching over 1,200 women and girls.

Independent evaluations from AVEGA Agahozo in Rwanda and MeCAHT in Nigeria document significant improvements in emotional regulation, physical wellbeing, and interpersonal connection among survivors of trauma, demonstrating ERT’s cross-cultural effectiveness and scalability.

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Be apart of healing

Stories of the Women We Serve

How women find their strength in our program

The safe, social engagement piece was really priceless. Thank you for facilitating such a positive, inclusive, emotionally safe environment for us to connect with each other.

AP – Enhanced Resilience Program Participant

I want to thank you again for such an amazing weekend (that I truly had no idea I was walking in to) — The process is/ was amazing. Thank you.

TM – Enhanced Resilience Program Participant

The training was above and beyond my expectations

JC – Enhanced Resilience Program Participant

I seriously can’t thank you enough for the opportunity and look forward to working with you and MAJ ongoing!! With gratitude

SH – Enhanced Resilience Program Participant

Where We Work

We meet survivors where they are. Our programs in Africa and North America use the same proven methods adapted to each community’s needs.

Rwanda

These trainings were designed to build psychological resilience and promote trauma healing through an innovative, experiential method resilience based physical exercises inspired by martial arts (imikino njyarugamba). These trainings were structured around five days of intensive sessions where participants engaged in interactive discussions about trauma, its risk factors, and its impact on both physical and emotional health.

Uganda

These trainings were designed to build psychological resilience and promote trauma healing through an innovative, experiential method resilience based physical exercises inspired by martial arts

Kenya

In November 2024 Martial Arts for Justice partnered with Rehma Foundation to bring Enhanced Resilience Training to their women members.

Nigeria

MAJ partnered with Granny Murray Schools who generously donates the use of their school space to do the training.

Tanzania

Tanzania is an internationally supported initiative delivered nationally to strengthen emotional wellbeing, safety, and community resilience among women and girls across Tanzania.