We talked ourselves hoarse and people were genuinely amazed.
Safe Haven was an exhibitor at the recent Inaugural Modern Woman Expo held at the Brisbane Exhibition Centre in June. There were booths to cater for any number of female-centric needs: from yoga to financial services. Our stand must have hit a raw nerve as we were bombarded with women dropping in to have a chat. Once they learned what Safe Haven Community was about, it bought out the stories of their own experiences. So many women told us if our service was available when they were fleeing abuse, it would have given them a huge advantage to get on their feet a lot quicker.
We are amazed at just how many women were prepared to tell story of abuse. They were open and frank and wanted us to know that just because you can't see the bruises, does not mean they have not been through some terrible times. One lady was an entrepreneur and spoke on the stage about her fantastic business. She told Jaeneen, our Chief Executive, that she was verbally and emotionally abused for nearly five years, thinking that was part of a normal marriage! She is out of that relationship now and doing fantastic things.
Our aim at the event was awareness. Visitors were very receptive to the idea behind Safe Haven and the fact that were are community based. We gave out our stickers that were hoping all of Queensland will place on their cars to show there is a village of kindness in Safe Haven willing to help women in need. The sticker states, "If there's room in your heart, maybe there's a room in your home". These were a hit with hundreds of women taking them to place on their cars.
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