Shelter for child survivors of abuse in Malaysia

Nony, 11 years old, is one of two siblings whose mother sought shelter assistance from WAO in 2014. Nony, her sibling, and their mother are survivors of domestic violence. They stayed in our crisis shelter for approximately four months, and during their stay, the family received assistance in obtaining police and legal interventions as well as psychosocial interventions by our social workers and service providers. When Nony's mother decided to leave the shelter to start living independently, she was offered our extended service of placing her children in our Child Care Centre. In our Child Care Centre, we emphasize the importance of education, psychosocial interventions, and play therefore we ensure that the children attend school regularly and therapeutic play sessions. We also encourage social activities therefore have regular volunteers conducting weekly activities with the children. 

Initially, Nony and her sibling displayed a great amount of problematic behaviour patterns and required anger management sessions for the trauma that they had been exposed to. However, within two months of attending therapeutic play sessions and meeting their mother on a daily basis, she and her sibling's wellbeing improved significantly. Nony showed great passion and interest in learning English and creative writing, as well as to excel in her studies. With the help of her teachers in school as well as tuition teachers and volunteers, she learnt to read well and is currently improving her writing skills. 

As Nony's determination to excel academically is inspiring, her teachers have made her a mentor to assist her peers and younger children in their school work.