Rebirth after abuse – We did it

In the Dominican Republic, 25 abused girls find serenity in the Daughters of Charity Home
Friday 05 February 2021 01:00
Soeur Amalia Alvarez
We did it

The aim of this project was to offer young abused daughters an adequate space for a complete and comfortable rest after so many sleepless nights due to the trauma they have experienced. In order to equip the "Hogar Renacer" (in French "Le refuge Renaitre") and allow these young girls to sleep again, Sister Amalia appealed to your generosity to help her finance her project online on the Rosalie's projects platform.

She recounts:

"We chose to buy most of the items in a specific shop (Lila's) because it was the best value for money we could get. We bought the mattresses from the factory because they gave us a price that included waterproof vinyl covers like we wanted. Daughters who have suffered severe trauma tend to have incontinence problems.

On December 10 we bought the mattresses and they were delivered 3 days later. On 16 December we bought the sheets, bedspreads, pillows and pyjamas for the children.

Many of the old mattresses were given to the daughters to take home when they can visit their families again, so that they can sleep in a more decent place than they were used to.

Surprise after Covid-19

The Home had to close down because of Covid-19 and all the daughters had been allocated to trusted trainers or volunteers until we were allowed to open again.

In the meantime, the whole team wanted to prepare the dormitory for their return on 07 January 2021. The aim was to allow them to get the rest they deserved to recover all the energy they had spent during the day.

That day, when the daughters went into the rooms and saw everything new: mattresses, sheets, pillows, pyjamas and even some teddy bears.... They couldn't believe their eyes and were incredibly moved and happy.

NN told us that she felt like she was sleeping in a fairy tale and that it was the room she had always dreamed of.... "How happy I feel.... Pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming? "Another teenager added, "Even my family who are supposed to protect me don't take care of me as much as the sisters. God gives them so much love that they return it in the same way...Thank you Lord, thank you... "

We could tell many stories but just seeing their happy faces makes the soul full of gratitude to all those who invest in the Refuge.

This rearrangement of the resting space will help them to benefit more holistically from the complementary benefits of therapies that help them to overcome the after-effects of the many abuses they have suffered.

In the 20 days that the daughters have been in their new rooms, the changes and participation in therapy have been clearly visible. The daughters are more rested, they don't fall asleep during the therapies, they participate more, etc.

The beneficiaries

The 25 daughters who are benefiting from the newly equipped rooms are the first beneficiaries of the project, but they are not the only ones!

The families of the daughters have also benefited from the project thanks to the old mattresses in the hostel which were donated to them to replace the very damaged ones they were using.

All the staff of the Home, the Community of Sisters and the teachers benefit from the project thanks to the well-being and active participation of the daughters through their new restorative rest.

A very big thank you to all the generous donors for their support.

With you, we fight against violence against children in our country