Victoria knows what it’s like to live in chaos.

In May of 2022, I lost my oldest son. He was only 17 years old, and passed from a motorcycle accident. After his passing, I suffered from depression, stress, and anxiety. My husband began to drink every day and often arrived home drunk. He would hit me and our other children. 

Shortly after, her community elected her to be part of the youth leadership program where she would learn basic counseling practices to help herself and others in the community. Victoria shares about how transformative the workshops were in her own healing.

The first workshop I attended was opened with a devotional, and I began to feel relief in my soul. We reflected on God’s love for us. Even when we fail Him, He is always waiting for us with open arms. The Lord liberated me from the anguish I was in from not accepting the loss of my son.

The workshops talked about constructing family values. This is what I felt was lacking in my own home. It was a disaster and I was overwhelmed. There wasn’t respect, only hatred and yelling. Throughout the workshops, my husband began to change. There was no longer yelling in the home, he stopped drinking, and things got better.

I feel free of abuse and in peace. Praise be to God, I am a free woman. I can rejoice with my other children in their triumphs in their studies and extracurricular activities. There is peace again in my home. 

Now I share this message with other women. They need to stop putting up with any psychological or physical abuse. 

Victoria represents the reality of many of the women in the communities we work with. Domestic violence, alcoholism, drug addiction, and dysfunctional homes exist. The Youth Leadership Program empowers and trains a network of leaders in counseling tools so they are able to help those who are most vulnerable, working to create healthy and fair relationships in their communities.