Battered American women who flee home for safety to the USA, most with children, are overwhelmed with the responsibility of finding housing, jobs, food, clothing and so on. Then they have the added stress of financial survival and possible legal complications. They do not take time for much needed self-care, which perpetuates the stress, leading to acute health problems that manifest into chronic health problems later in life. Self-care baskets will help survivors learn preventative care.
The self-care baskets will introduce battered women to simple, yet effective ways, to combat the intense stress they are feeling. Meditation CD, essential oils for inhalation, candles, affirmation cards and a journal will gently begin a self-care practice. This in turn will make them more mentally available for their children, be able to cope with their situations and hopefully, prevent acute and chronic health care problems.
Twenty battered women who have fled violence and returned to the USA will receive self-care baskets. We want them to begin a self-care practice amid the stressful, and sometimes overwhelming, responsibilities of finding housing and jobs and being single parents with little chance of financial support from their abusers. Beginning a self-care practice is vital to survivors mental, emotional and physical well being.
The project serves 500 women per year empowering them to find alternatives to a life of violence so their children grow up in violence free homes with their self-esteem in tact with the hope of stopping the cycle of violence in future generations. By helping them establish a self-care practice, survivors of violence can be better parents, prevent health issues and be more productive in their lives.