15.5 million children in the U.S. live in families in which domestic violence has occurred in the past year. When Lisa was just six years old, she awoke to the sounds of her dad's angry voice, smashing objects and her mom's pleas to "stop!" This project will help 30 children like Lisa and her mom escape from the violence and provide the children with counseling, tools to keep them safe, play therapy and access to a support group for children to help them heal from the trauma they experienced.
According to the FBI, there are 40 million adults in the U.S. who grew up in families where their father physically abused their mother. If not addressed, the effects of domestic violence on children have long-lasting effects, including mental and physical illness, suicide, substance abuse, violence and other emotional scars. This project will help 30 children in the U.S. to overcome the horrible trauma they experienced and provide them with a foundation to build a new and healthy future.
The Center for Safety & Change has decades of experience providing comprehensive services for children who have experienced domestic violence. Services include counseling, play therapy, tools for healthy communication, tools to keep children safe from the offending parent, activities for all ages, advocacy for the children's needs in school and supportive meetings with other children where they can share their experiences and are strengthened in their confidence.
The project will help 30 children overcome the horrible trauma of experiencing domestic violence, allowing them to lay the foundation for a healthy and emotionally stable future. As a result, these children will develop the tools to experience healthy relationships and break the cycle of violence that is still so rampant in U.S. families.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
