EMPOWERVAN

Empowering displaced women and girls through self-defense education allowing them to live independently and free of violence. 

Three women standing outdoors with their backs to the camera, each raising one fist into the air in front of a chain-link fence and trees, with a partly cloudy sky in the background.
Two women are engaged in a boxing workout in front of a black van on a sunny day. One woman is wearing a gray shirt and teal pants, and the other is wearing a patterned dress and a head covering.

Envisioning a world free of gender-based violence.

Creating change, one women at a time.

Empowerment through presence • Self-defense is solidarity • Women supporting women • Trust before training • Showing up matters • Empowerment through presence •

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Empowerment through presence • Self-defense is solidarity • Women supporting women • Trust before training • Showing up matters • Empowerment through presence • •

It all begins with showing up.
Sometimes we teach a full self-defense class.
Sometimes we talk to one woman by the van.
Sometimes, no one comes.

But we still show up. Because presence matters.
EmpowerVan is a feminist, mobile project bringing free self-defense and empowerment to displaced women in refugee camps.
We create space for movement, for strength, for connection, even when everything else is uncertain.

A group of nine people standing outdoors, facing a wall, raising wooden boards above their heads in a celebratory manner.
Outdoor scene with a barbed wire fence and metal grid, distance mountains, and a clear blue sky. On the ground are two backpacks, a blue bag, four blue foam rollers, a small red and yellow object, and a water bottle on a concrete ledge.
Four women are practicing self-defense techniques in an outdoor urban area with concrete walls and a few chairs. One woman demonstrates a chokehold while another woman receives it. The others observe. It appears to be a self-defense class.

Impact in Numbers

8’789

KM’s driven

We are driven to reach the most vulnerable people in isolated locations

19

Locations

We have taught in 2 continents and 3 countries.

235

Students empowered

Every student matters, we will teach even if only one person shows up, because we are determined to make a difference where we can!

248

Hours taught

Our weekly self-defense classes are between 60 - 90 minutes, and a full seminar consists of 8 hours of class.

Programmatic Activities

Physical Self Defense Classes

Every week, we travel to refugee camps near Athens with our fully equipped van, in order to facilitate physical self-defense classes to the women and girls living inside the camps.

Empowerment Self Defense Seminar

We go to shelters and organizations in order to teach holistic empowerment self defense seminars (8h).

Training for Aid Workers

We support the helping hands in the field to create safer spaces, by training them in de-escalation, bystander intervention and by addressing and reflecting on boundaries in diverse cultural settings.