Mary started accessing Anawim just after she came out of prison in July 2024.
She says “at this point I had kept myself to myself in prison which is how I kept when I moved into the hostel. I hadn’t got any confidence and didn’t know how to speak with people, I struggled even to get on a bus on my own. I just couldn’t talk to people. This meant that I had never spoken about my abusive marriages and relationships.
“I started the DV Toolkit and this was life changing for me, I realised that I was not the only one in the world who had been beaten up by their partner. My family members had normalised domestic abuse, so I didn’t recognise it at the time. The DV that I experienced is what lead to my offence and I have never been able to open up about it. During the DV toolkit I heard other women discussing their experiences which made me feel a lot less alone, from this point I knew that Anawim was going to help.
“Coming back for every session made me feel more comfortable as I became familiar with the other women, and slowly over time I was less reliant upon my friend who attends with me. Originally I couldn’t do anything on my own but now, after attending the centre my confidence and independence has grown.
“I have also completed the Healthy Relationships course which was really helpful, it taught me the importance of body language, positive thinking and boundaries and I have put these things into action in my own life which has been liberating and allowed me to address how I feel rather than pleasing others all of the time. I used to sit in my room and not go back out but now I am able to do as I please.
“The outcome of my time here has been finding my own identity, I am confident and able to talk to others without worrying. I feel I can hold proper conversations rather than hiding away. Although my mandatory days at the centre through probation are now finished, I look forward to continuing to access the centre and I am looking forward to doing more courses.”