Safe Home for Survivors of Domestic Violence

by My Choices

Project Report | Nov 19, 2019
Lotus Safe Home Report

By Shirley Bobby | Head of Fundraising

Arts and crafts at Lotus Safe Home

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Saroja, the caretaker of Lotus Safe Home, enjoys sharing her arts and crafts knowledge with the women at the home. Recently, Saroja conducted a mini-class on knitting which two of the women at the home attended. In these sessions, the women made beautiful bags, pouches and wall hangings out of yarn. These creations adorn the Lotus Safe Home and are a symbol of the beauty that emerges from the dark and difficult situations from which the women are finding healing and solace.

GARDENING ACTIVITIES

The flowers have blossomed at the Lotus Safe Home! Gardening is one of the activities that the women at the Lotus Safe Home find therapeutic and helpful in their journey to overcome abuse. The women, along with their children, enjoy looking on and even helping the Lotus Safe Home staff members when they are planting, watering and growing the garden.

CASE STUDY

Devi* is a talented young woman who is a trained dancer. Creative and responsible, Devi teaches dance and her earnings go toward supporting her parents and four siblings.

But her home life was not as bright. Her father abuses her mother and this abuse creates an unsafe and stressful situation for her and her four siblings to live in.

Her father is a construction worker and her mother is a teacher. Even though both of them are employed, only her mother contributes her earnings for the family. So Devi did what she could to help her parents and siblings. Life continued this way until 26-year-old Devi was cheated financially and was in dire need of help.

Instead of helping Devi, her parents began to abuse her and refused to help their own daughter in her tense financial situation. They continued to abuse her until she made the decision to leave home and seek shelter at the Lotus Safe Home.

Once Devi walked through the doors of the Lotus Safe Home she felt her mind and body begin to heal. Her helpful attitude was to be seen at the home as well and she was all too willing to help everyone at the home. Much to the joy of Saroja’s daughters, Devi agreed to teach the two young girls popular dance, and the sound of laughter and dancing filling the air was music to everyone’s ears - quite literally!

No longer did Devi have to tremble with fear and cower in the corner when her parents (especially her father) directed their anger toward her. Her stay at the Lotus Safe Home was the time she needed to get back on her feet and rebuild her mind and health to begin working again.

*The name of the individual has been changed to protect their privacy.

Gardening at Lotus Safe Home

The Lotus Safe Home

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Aug 21, 2019
August 2019 Report

By Shirley Bobby | Head of Fundraising

Mosquito Nets

The Indian monsoon season has begun and while this conjures images of tropical rainfall - the after effects are not always picturesque. A combination of heavy rainfall and poor urban planning leads to an infestation of mosquitoes which bring a host of seasonal - and even fatal - illnesses. To protect the women and children living in the Lotus Safe Home, we have covered the windows and doors with mesh nets to keep out the mosquitoes and safeguard the health of the inhabitants inside.

Dining Table and Chairs

The women and children are grateful to have received a dining table and chairs which were donated to the Lotus Safe Home. The dining table and chairs are in good condition and now, the women and children are joined at the table every day by the staff members who enjoy their daily meals together.

Case Study

The Lotus Safe Home recently helped a young woman named Shobha (name changed to protect the individual), who was married at the age of eighteen. Shobha was just out of her teen years when she gave birth to her firstborn child. Life changed for her and before she knew it, she was the mother of three children.

But Shobha was also facing physical and sexual abuse from her husband’s family members and when Shobha’s husband learned of this, he saw it as an opportunity to abuse her in the same manner too. Furthermore, her mother-in-law mentally abused her by alleging that she was a bad person and “deserved” her treatment.

In desperation, Shobha wanted to return to her own home. But what awaited her there was nothing short of blame and further mental abuse. Her own mother refused to take her in and was not concerned with the well being of her daughter. But Shobha did not give up. Her cousin helped her file a police complaint and after counselling was provided to her and to her in-laws, she returned home with a little more hope that things would be different.

But things were not different. Her husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law continued to sexually and physically abuse her, and Shobha once again filed a complaint with the police who now referred her (and the children) to the Lotus Safe Home. Here, she was given individual counselling - the first step to clearing her mind to think about what she wanted for her future and the future of her children.

Our counsellors and legal team thoroughly educated Shobha on her legal rights and other areas of the law. Shobha left her husband’s house, sought legal protection and is now living in a women’s hostel. Our team also advised her to enrol in a skills-development course for her future livelihood.

Shobha is grateful for the time she spent at the Lotus Safe Home where she was able to live in a safe space with her children and decide the future course of action for her and her children.

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May 23, 2019
Some stories from Lotus Safe Home, Hyderabad

By Usha Kiran T | Communication Manager & Program Officer

"The Best Place in the World" says a little boy!

My Choices Foundation thanks you for your generous donations towards our Lotus Safe Home. Through the Lotus Safe Home this quarter, we were able to provide counselling, medical help and security to women who were once victims of severe domestic abuse and in distress.

Sarika*, who was abused and abandoned by her husband was left on the street with her one-year-old daughter. Even though her father and stepmother took her daughter in, they were not keen on having Sarika live with them. She was on the streets and travelled aimlessly in trains when the police handed her over to the Lotus Safe Home. When she arrived at the home, she was malnourished and extremely dehydrated. Her recovery focused on both the physical and emotional aspects and she was given medical attention, therapy, counselling and legal aid.

Sarika was educated, talented and capable of sustaining a job. We helped her get a job she would do well in and enjoy; she stayed at the Lotus Safe Home for 41 days and moved to a hostel after she received her first paycheck. There was a marked difference in her confidence levels and her personality in the 41 days - stories like this help us keep going!

While Sarika’s recovery took 41 days, there was Pravallika* who just took 3 days to get back on her feet. After her husband attempted to kill her with a pipe, she left home with her son and stayed at a hotel for 3 days. She found the details of our counselling centre through the internet and contacted us. Our counsellors asked her to move to the Safe Home as her son would be well taken care of while she went to work. Staying in the Lotus Safe Home gave Pravallika a lot of confidence and strength - she knew there were people who were ready to support her, stand up and fight for her. She moved out of the house after 3 days and moved to a hostel which was closer to her son’s school and her workplace. The counselling helped Pravallika a lot and she is continuing to attend our counselling sessions even now. Pravallika’s son grew very attached to the staff at the Lotus Safe Home and drew a picture (attached with this report) suggesting that it was the safest place in the world!

The Lotus Safe Home caters to varied needs of every woman - while Varsha’s hospital bills were taken care of, we purchased stationery and toys for Pravallika’s son; these expenses are apart from the counselling and everyday expenses of all our residents. Donations by generous patrons will not only help keep the Safe Home up and running but will help us make it a comfortable and secure place to stay in.

*Names of individuals changed to protect their privacy

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