Sister Jennifer Degner, a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) from Texas, has played a crucial role in initiating the "Global SAK Donation Project". Jennifer first met Vanessa Lynch, director of DNAforAfrica, during an online Covid Zoom meeting, and the two quickly bonded over the challenges they faced in their respective environments, including the shortage of SAK's (Sexual Assault Kit) in Africa.

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Following that meeting Jennifer professed to throwing away hundreds of perfectly good unused items from their 'Texas 100' SAK - destined for landfill. How could we get these to Africa, where the need was so great, she asked Vanessa?

 

Within weeks, Vanessa had rallied a team together, and thus began the Global SAK Donation project: spanning three different continents, they devised a plan to stockpile the sealed, unused SAK items, get them across to Africa and distribute these precious items to rape crisis centres, whereafter specialised forensic nurses and doctors would oversee proper collection of samples and the relevant FSL would analyse and track the quality of these samples at their DNA lab. This would all be monitored and documented by Prof. Lisa Smith, a Criminologist at Leicester University (the home of forensic DNA profiling) as part of a research study examining the impact of quality DNA samples on the justice system and survivor confidence.

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Says Jennifer Degner, SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner), based in Texas: "My vision is to see the Global SAK Donation Project become successful, so that many more can have access to quality evidence collection and Forensic Nursing care. It is my hope that this program, with increased donations, will grow to include more areas in Africa. I look forward to being able to advocate for Survivors and Forensic Nurses on a larger scale throughout the United States and Africa, and sharing my knowledge and experience with more organisations.

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The first shipment of SAK items successfully arrived in Lusaka, Zambia, with Innocent Makasa, Technical Director of Quality Assurance at the National Forensic Science and Biometrics Department in Zambia, leading this part of the project.

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The ongoing partnership demonstrates the strength that comes from working together, showing the potential to make a significant impact on the availability of quality evidence collection and Forensic Nursing care for survivors of sexual assault. The project's progress will continue to be followed, showcasing the power of global collaboration.

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You can follow the Global SAK Donation Project HERE

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