Salwa’s friend had been participating in the women’s awareness raising program at AWEMA’s NGO. She knew about Salwa’s family problems, so she encouraged her to join the program. Salwa is married with three daughters. When she first came to the NGO, she seemed depressed and angry, and she beat her youngest daughter often.
Salwa learned so much, including that she and her daughter were not responsible for her husband’s choices
After attending a few group sessions, Salwa began to have one-on-one conversations with Deena, AWEMA worker in charge of the program. Salwa explained that her husband is a drug addict and married to another woman. After he learned that his second wife is pregnant with a boy, he went to live with her and left Salwa and their daughters. Salwa felt responsible for what her husband did because she couldn’t give him a son, and took her anger out on her youngest daughter because “she was supposed to be a boy.”
Through group sessions and personal follow-up, Salwa learned so much, including that she and her daughter were not responsible for her husband’s choices, and that a man needs to be appreciated and respected by his wife. Salwa invited her husband over for a meal and talked things over with him calmly and wisely – and things changed! Her husband promised he would return to his family, and he did!
Deena also encouraged Salwa to develop herself, so she joined the literacy and sewing program at the NGO and even encouraged her teenage daughter to join the girls’ awareness raising program.
Salwa’s colleagues say that she is now a lot calmer and her children seem happier.
(Names have been changed for identity protection)