A Lenten charity for us to support this year

 

Each year we try to support a Charity as part of our Lenten effort.  We alternate between a need abroad and a need at home.

 

This year has seen the Sisters of Mercy founding a new charitable work,

especially to help women who are the subjects of abuse.  It is based in Kings Cross but works with women from all over London.

 

Sister Linda Dearlove, the Director, will come and speak in both of our

Parishes during Lent.

 

WHAT IS WOMEN @ THE WELL ??

 

 

... an innovative new charity, founded to provide a  range of

services to vulnerable women caught in multiple cycles of abuse

 and social exclusion, equipping them with the skills, resources

 and support that they need, to successfully rejoin society.

 

women@thewell is a resource, which is dedicated to women, giving them a chance to prioritise their needs, and work in partnership to find new ways of meeting those needs. The role of volunteering within women@thewell is central to its approach, involving the organisation and its clients in equal measure.

 

It targets its services toward women involved in pavement culture, specifically those who are sexually exploited through their involvement in prostitution. Additionally it  seeks to respond to the needs of women who have experienced trafficking.

 

Women, caught up in the many facets of pavement culture (homelessness, prostitution, drugs, alcohol, violence, physical and mental ill health), are often kept locked into chaos by the complexity of services. Many people may be working with them on specialist

issues, but nothing ever seems to come together at the right time so they can get their lives sorted out.

 

Moving from ‘chaos’ to ‘stabilisation’ is an important shift and one which is often brought about by a particular “crisis” such as an extremely violent attack, an overdose, miscarriage, children into being taken into care, or an HIV/AIDS diagnosis. Exiting a chaotic lifestyle is a long and complex process, which is not linear. Women may move in and out of chaos many times before finally sustaining a changed lifestyle.

 

It can be very difficult for women to restructure their everyday life and move on. It takes determination and courage to step away from the familiar, having to exclude people who were friends in order not to be sucked back into the chaos. Further

difficulties arise as women begin to work with the lasting effects of the violence and abuse they may have experienced. In addition, frustration with finding appropriate training opportunities, employment or even unpaid work experience in a supportive environment may make a woman feel discouraged and that all the doors are closed to her.