“I now understand that I have been abused by my partner, and that abuse has been part of my whole life…The Power to Change Programme gave me the opportunity to face this”

Why we care: In the UK, 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

How we’re solving this: We deliver vital free training for professionals working with domestic violence victims to set up their own power to change support groups, providing essential safe community spaces for women who are survivors of domestic violence.

Women’s Aid needs your help to run The Power to Change facilitator’s course. We would like to run the course, free of charge in three locations. This would train 52 participants to run their own life changing support groups around the country.

During the two day course, participants are trained to facilitate a support group. The facilitator plays a key role in making the sessions safe, supportive and inclusive, and uses her skills, experience and knowledge on issues such as domestic violence to create group cohesion, respect and stability for participants.

Domestic violence has a significant, long term impact on the women who experience it. Domestic abuse erodes self-esteem and social skills, destroys family intimacy, damages growing children and creates intense feelings of shame, guilt, isolation and loneliness. Community survivor groups build self-esteem, self- determination and empowerment and creates communities of women who support each other.

The programme enables group members to recognise their individual strengths, maintain independence, and acknowledge their rights to respect, dignity, independence choice and control (where this does not conflict with their safety)

“All of it (the course) hits home and has made me realise that my children must have suffered the effects of domestic violence and I am so proud I was strong enough to leave”