Christmas Appeal
Home for Christmas and hope for the future
Every donation will help survivors like Aisha today, and pave her way to a future that is safe and free.
‘I’m looking forward to this Christmas at Ella’s, there will be a big party here,’ says Aisha.
The last few years, there were no parties for Aisha, who is a survivor of violence, domestic abuse and modern slavery. There was no celebration, no safety, no freedom. Just fear and pain. This year for the first time in a while, Aisha is feeling joy and excitement again, reminiscent of when she was a child.
‘Back home when I was a little girl, Eid was one of our big festivals,’ says Aisha. ‘Everyone in the house would be sleeping, but I would wake up and get ready very early, then go back to bed until everyone else woke up!’ she remembers.
Aisha, pictured, is looking forward to her first Christmas at Ella’s.
Home
Aisha says she felt at home in the Ella’s safe house as soon as she arrived. She loves her room, and talks about her joy at there being a mirror on the wall, as she hadn’t been allowed mirrors for so long. She also values the bonds she’s built with the other residents…
‘It feels like family; we are like sisters. If someone is low and needs to go for a walk, we will go together. At home I had three sisters, and the other residents remind me of them. The women are kind to me. All of us are different, and we don’t pry about what’s happened in the past, but we can share with one another if we want to. There is respect among us.’
‘When you come from the situations we have been through, being able to feel at home is a very difficult thing. But here I felt like it was home even the first day I arrived. I felt safe, and confident that from here there will be good things happening in my life.’
Your gift of £80 could pay for new towels, bedding, toiletries and flowers for a new safe house resident like Aisha.
Hope
Aisha was paired with an Ella’s support worker when she arrived, who helped her settle in and form a recovery plan including short and long-term goals. Aisha has been through painful, traumatic experiences that have hurt her in many ways. But even before the abuse Aisha was disadvantaged, having grown up in a place where women were denied opportunity or choice. So this tailored, holistic support is crucial for Aisha’s future as well as her recovery.
‘The way [my support worker] has supported me is like family, more than someone just doing a job, I’ve always felt like she treats me like an equal,’ says Aisha.
Aisha (left) in her room at our safe house, with support worker Maya.
Emotional support and encouragement have been key for Aisha, but she is equally thankful that her support worker is encouraging her to build independence. ‘Ella’s is giving me the confidence to know that, when I do move out and live on my own again, I can do it,’ says Aisha.
‘My idea of womanhood is completely changing at Ella’s; and it should, because women shouldn’t have to depend on men. They should be able to be strong and do things too.’
Aisha’s support worker has been helping her plug in to activities to help her recovery, and build skills and confidence for the future. ‘I was so depressed before after everything that happened to me. Now, I’m completely different. I am doing things all week, including exercise and volunteer work in a charity shop. One day I go to a women's support group, and I do painting every week too,’ says Aisha.
Art is Aisha’s favourite thing. One of her beautiful paintings features on our Ella’s Christmas card this year, pictured at the bottom of this page. ‘I’ve always wanted to learn to paint. I used to do it on my own from YouTube, but now I’m learning properly.’
‘Here at Ella’s, we can follow our dreams. My goal for the future is to go to college and become a graphic designer,’ says Aisha. ‘Confidence is so important for me, I had none before and was so low. I used to feel so hopeless, but now I don’t. Hopefully, God willing, I will have a good future.’
Your gift of £300 could pay for a day-long survivor group workshop or outing to develop employability skills, social confidence and other tools key to building a safe life.
The importance of support
Asked about how important Ella’s’ support and safe houses are, Aisha reflects on her past. ‘I can’t bear to think about those times. I try not to think about them,’ she says.
‘People should support Ella’s, because the situations we are in and have been through are not easy. The house - everything here and how it’s done - helps us. Little things and big things help us, mentally and physically.’
‘If women don’t get this support when they’re vulnerable, I think they end up on the streets. This makes me sad and afraid. People should support Ella’s as much as they can.’
A gift for you: Christmas cards designed by Aisha
Aisha’s beautiful painting of pink flowers below a winter sky features on our Ella’s Christmas card this year. We’ll send a pack of 5 of these beautiful cards as a thank you to anyone donating £40 or more this Christmas. They are blank inside so you can add your own message and use them all year round.
To order your cards, just donate £40 or more to our appeal and then email info@ellas.org.uk with your name and address to request your pack.
“Here at Ella’s, we can follow our dreams. My goal for the future is to go to college and become a graphic designer. I used to feel so hopeless, but now I don’t. Hopefully, God willing, I will have a good future.”
Donations doubled from 3 to 10 December
The first £5,300 worth of donations to this appeal were DOUBLED between 3 and 10 December thanks to the Big Give, making twice the impact among survivors of trafficking and violence. Huge thanks to Balham Baptist Church, the Sam Cottman Foundation and the Childhood Trust for providing this funding to match public donations.
your gift can do so much
£30 could pay for a two-hour, tailored support session for a survivor like Aisha.
£45 could pay for a birthday gift and party for one of our safe house residents.
£80 could pay for new towels, bedding, toiletries and flowers for a new safe house resident.
£300 could pay for a day-long survivor group workshop or outing to develop employability skills, social confidence and other tools key to building a safe life.