Alisha’s* story is almost too painful to share. It is extremely confronting, yet in the end it is a hope-filled, inspirational story!

*WARNING* This story is of an extremely sensitive nature and may be triggering to some readers who have experienced abuse.

Alisha* (pictured) was only four years old when she was hit with a glass bottle of Cola to her head, hit with a piece of wood on various parts of her body and clearly remembers an instance where her mother tried to kill her.

She recalls her mother, a prostitute, would use her and her brother to throw in front of cars so she could accept money in exchange and buy shabu (methamphetamine) to feed her drug habit.

Alisha also recalls she was tied with a belt around her head whenever her mother would get angry and was sexually abused by her mother’s customers. “She was touched by men in her head, arms and in her private parts,” says a report from the time. “She was confused why her mother did this to her when she did not do anything wrong.”

Fortunately, she was referred to Balay Banaag, a residential centre, run by the Marist Sisters since 2018 and supported by Mercy Works. They provide an alternative family environment for 15 vulnerable girls, as well as play therapy, psycho-social activities and teaching basic life-skills.

All of these girls are daughters of prostitutes. Many do not know their father, and most have experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The centre also provides parenting skills for mothers and guardians with a hope for re-integration and ultimately hopes to break the cycle of prostitution in their respective families.

When Alisha arrived at Balay Banaag, she was painfully shy. “She was silent and aloof with other people,when she got comfortable she got along with other children, but she was easily irritated. She had tantrums, she threw and scattered things.” 

In school classes, however, Alisha behaved. “She respects her teacher and wants to have good grades, but her tantrums lead to absences,” says a report from the time.

 

While Alisha is gradually recovering from the trauma of the physical abuse by her mother, the memories remain. She can still recall those experiences, but she understands her mother’s drug addictions and why her mother did this to her “which she really hates”.

“Last year her mother sent her a gift and it was the first time that she actually received it and even wore the pyjamas her mother sent her,” says one of the Sisters. “This indicated she is slowly accepting her trauma with the mother.”

What is truly remarkable about this story – is that despite everything, Alisha has always spoken of making her dreams come true.

Her older sister, Melinda*, who also lived at Balay Banaag, ultimately served as her inspiration to continue with her education. “She wanted to finish her studies and become a doctor someday. She took inspiration from her sister, who now studies Computer Engineering at University as well as running a small online business that helps provide for her education.”

After spending last Christmas with her sister and her five siblings, Melinda expressed she wanted her family to be reunited and to turn Alisha’s dreams into a reality, and that she would now be able to take care of Alisha and send her to school.

After multiple case conferences with Melinda and her grandmother and visits to the home to check for her safety and the readiness of the family to ensure her education continues, Alisha has finally been re-integrated into the family after six years.

“She is grateful to the Balay Banaag Centre for all the support and the opportunity for healing and for making her believe that she can overcome the difficulties in her life.”

The two sisters continue to believe that they can reach their dreams someday. Alisha is also now enrolled in Grade 6 in the local Elementary School.

“Alisha has promised that someday she will visit the Centre to share her stories and to become an inspiration to other scholars,” says one of the Sisters proudly. “She can also support them when she reaches her goal to become a doctor.”

 

Human trafficking is a social issue that needs social action. Through the Creating Change for Women Through Advocacy Project, Mercy Works hopes to provide awareness and education around the issue; to capacitate people from the grassroots in becoming strong advocates against human trafficking and form a coalition of both like-minded non-government and government organisations, groups and inter-faith-based organisations to create change.

Ultimately, we hope it will create a desire to advocate for the protection of human rights for all people, especially women and young girls, and challenge the current systems that fuel human trafficking and all forms of sexual exploitation and prostitution – the antithesis to human rights and human dignity.

The first year of the project focussed on Delving into the Drivers of Human Trafficking of Women: The Cebu Provence Experience, a detailed Report where 100 women were interviewed. This Report has been published. The Report found the major drivers for this phenomenon included lack of opportunity to get proper education due to exposure to domestic and financial risks in their early years of life, the absence of birth certificates (which gives them an identity), inadequate housing due to their inability to acquire property, the inaccessibility to high-paying jobs, and compromising healthcare.     

“These drivers place women in vulnerable circumstances, and they become easy prey to human traffickers,” says head researcher Marietta Latonia, RSW, MSSW.

Or as, Sr Leah Anne Espina, RGS, a Good Shepherd Sister, says: “As different groups persevere in networking and responding, then, every girl, woman and person trapped in the web of abuse and violation will break free and eventually travel the road to healing and restoration of their dignity and become important contributors to the transformation of society and our world.”

Now coming into its second year, the project has developed and capacitated multiple key leaders towards transformation into Core Movers to join the fight against human trafficking.

These 48 individuals, aged between 17 and 60 years old and chosen from the various government, non-government and inter-faith-based organisations, attended training sessions in March, May and July to roll-out training in their respective communities. They also signed pledges of commitment to counter-attack human trafficking in their areas.

“After listening to the testimony from the survivors, it changes their perspective … and it reminds them to be the voice of the voiceless,” says Ashley Conde, the Advocacy Officer for the Villa Maria Good Shepherd Sisters. “They appreciate the support of Mercy Works, who funds the training sessions, and by interacting with the women who are in the situation of prostitution it is life-changing for them, especially the Muslim participants.

“They solidified to create a positive influence and a difference that will protect and transpire the dream of every individual, especially women and children.”

A new organisation: United Services of Women’s Advocates of the Good Shepherd (USWAG) was also formed from victims/survivors in April at Maribago Resort in Lapu-Lapu City. It is composed of women survivors, with 11 officers and 35 members. USWAG is a Cebuano word, meaning to “move forward”.

“As the primary stakeholders of the program, they feel empowered that they emerge from victims to advocates,” says Conde. “They believe that their experiences can educate the vulnerable sectors of the community…and they are given the chance to own their own advocacy.” The officers conduct orientation in famous tourist destinations in Cebu.

Mercy Works is proud to share the project has met its 6 core objectives:

• 40 women who have exited from prostitution, and members of inter-faith based organisations were trained to become strong advocates;
• a coalition of like-minded organisations formed a support group in policy advocacy and made recommendations for new legislations to government entities;
• stronger dialogues with government institutions and Provence officials was undertaken in matters of employment, education and health services;
• mental health services for 55 women were provided;
• research was conducted to influence policy recommendations and advocacy materials were produced to stakeholders including posters created by survivors (see below) to be used in future engagement, tee shirts and brochures produced with a hotline number on where to report cases.

BELOW: Artworks created by women survivors of human trafficking

*WARNING* This story is of an extremely sensitive nature and may be triggering to some readers who have experienced abuse. 

Cherilyn has finally found her voice. Now an USWAG officer (United Services of Women’s Advocates of the Good Shepherd) whom Mercy Works supports through The Creating Change for Women Through Advocacy Project in Cebu in the Philippines, she spends her days advocating for women who are survivors of human trafficking and making sure their voices are also heard. 

But this wasn’t always the case. At one time Cherilyn admits she was in the dark, completely voiceless, and unable to change the direction of her life, trapped in a world of prostitution, drugs and traumatic experiences.

Cherilyn’s story begins in the red-light district of Cebu City where, as a teenager, she was led into prostitution after being raped by her cousin. She also witnessed the brutal murder of her father, who was shot in front of her in the family home.

Drugs and prostitution were normal in her upbringing, and the troubled 15-year-old found herself in a lot of debt to those who forced her to work for survival.

“We owed a lot of money to our managers – and we couldn’t say ‘I want to leave’ or ‘I want to stop working’ because every day they take out the money that we owe,” she says of the poverty and trauma she was surrounded by.

“I was in the situation because I didn’t have money, and I couldn’t go back to the house where every room reminded me of the traumas I had been through.”

It was the outreach program conducted by the Good Shepherd Sisters that saved her at the age of 17 from a life of human slavery.

“They would come to our place of work every night [in the red-light district] and give us inspirational talks. It was the start of me thinking my life could change and that I could start on my recovery.”

The Good Shepherd program is not just about healing, but also educational help and pathways to other employment. It includes advocacy and empowerment through lobbying the government and a coalition of like-minded entities.

“It was a long process to start healing. I went to a rehabilitation program at the recovery centre where we went deep within the traumas and learned to recognise those traumas and then we are able to take the chance to heal those traumas. It takes time to accept those traumas, not just the time but the emotional damage the traumas have cost us.”

It was after a gathering for the Creating Change for Women Through Advocacy Project this year, that Cherilyn had the strength to reach out and become an USWAG officer, volunteering a few days a week and working with other women who are survivors.

“It was the start of a new journey for me to reach out and touch the hearts of other girls.”

While Cherilyn admits she has come far, the pain is deeply embedded. By giving other women a voice, she says her new role is helping her heal.

“What gives me strength is that I can also see these traumas in the other girls. And seeing them change is also healing me, so that’s why I really want to continue and touch the lives of others through my experiences.”

After 10 years volunteering at the recovery centre, she then began her life in Cebu as an independent woman.

“Even now I am healed, there are still the scars from those traumas, and I cannot hide them.”

The main dream of this project is to raise society’s response to human trafficking. And Cherilyn is convinced education is key to the process. Not just for girls and women, who need to know their human rights, but also to raise the level of society’s response to human trafficking.

The group meets once a month at an Advocacy Hub to plan activities and workshops and are empowered to advocate in set communities based on geographic locations. The creation of this community of survivors will make this project sustainable into the future.

Now stable and working as a call centre agent in accounting software, Cherilyn says just by her presence there, other women can see how somebody already survived from the same situation – and with the right support they can turn their life around.

“Being an inspiration for them is the only thing I can do for them right now,” she says quietly.

 

“When I was in that situation somebody also did something for me, she was my voice when I was voiceless,” she recalls, referring to Mely Lenario, a Project Coordinator at Good Shepherd Welcome House.

“So right now, that I have my own voice to say, ‘I have survived’ and showing those who are voiceless now, ‘I was voiceless like you’ – that ‘I was in that situation, but right now I am proud’ – that I have my own voice to say, ‘I have survived’. As a person who was in the dark before – we really need inspiration to say ‘I can be the same as her. I can also do the same as her. I can also survive like her’.

“I can also say; ‘because of you I have survived. Because of you I was helped and now I am able to help others.”

You can watch Cherilyn’s Interview HERE [click on link]

See where we work!
Meet the people we work with!
Hear what we are doing!

Starting in our own country and expanding to our nearest neighbours, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and The Phillipines, Mercy Works is proud of our world-class projects that engage in partnership with challenged communities to enjoy the right to basic resources.

From providing education support to refugee and Indigenous students in Australia, to providing agricultural training in remote communities in Papua New Guinea, to reducing the rates of malnutrition in Timor-Leste, to walking with young women and girls who have experienced human trafficking in the Philippines, Mercy Works partners with the most vulnerable towards opportunity, dignity and self reliance.

See the people we work with! And hear from them what we do!

Our Welcome video from the people who are involved across our Australian and our Asia Pacific Projects is pretty special.  From the rugged moutains of Maucatar in Timor-Leste, to the the Fly River in the remote Iowara region in Papua New Guinea, we managed to capture our program participants on video for you, so you can see the people your donations help.

Enjoy!

We were delighted to be able to catch up in person and online at our recent Mercy Works Annual Friends Gathering ‘Each Voice Counts’ which was held on 13 October 2022 at the Convent Gardens at Parramatta.

We wanted to share some highlights in case you were not able to attend live!

Special guests included Sr Maryanne Kolkia and Steven Dude from our Papua New Guinea Projects in Simbu and Kiunga, refugees from our Mercy Connect Adult Literacy Classes at Hilltop Road Public School, a special welcome from Aunty Jenny, Aunty Cass and Janaya from our Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation Project, Aunty Pat from our Nunga Babies Watch Project in Adelaide as well as a very special interview with Cherilyn, a survivor of human trafficking who works with out Cebu Project in the Philippines; Creating Change for Woman Through Advocacy.

Please enjoy and share!

 – from Sr Sally Bradley RSM

WATCH NOW

I would like to take this opportunity to say a very BIG Thank you to all those who so generously donated to our Chicken & Egg Nutrition July Tax Appeal in Timor-Leste!

We are thrilled to let you know that we have reached our target of $13,000 which will go to support our partnership project with the Hospitaler Sisters of Mercy in Maucatar, in the Cova Lima district in Timor Leste.

This project is based at the Teresa Orsini Clinic. The staff work to improve the nutrition of mothers and young children who attend the maternity clinic, and they also conduct outreach programs to 22 villages in the Maucatar catchment area.

Our Chicken and Egg project is simple in design but powerful in impact. The Maucatar Nutritional/Hygiene Project have supported over 1,300 women and children with health education and monitoring, as well as activities aimed at improving nutrition, personal hygiene and sanitation.  Recent activities included COVID-19 awareness and handwashing, workshops on raising hens and creating a kitchen garden. The staff also provided soap and face masks to communities.

Chickens and eggs are considered one of the main sources of protein in the diet of the people of this mountainous area.

They also provide community education and nutrition, to 50 girls who stay at their hostel.

Sr Gilbert who runs the Clinic said to us in a recent report –

“By raising egg-laying hens, families are able to raise their income and live a better quality of life. Many of the families have followed the lessons and advice we are teaching and demonstrating. Having a good balanced diet for every member of the family will build a healthy community.”

Our Overseas Project Manager – Maria is looking forward to visiting Maucatar in September. At Mercy Works we are very proud of our Chicken and Egg project which we believe SAVES lives in Timor Leste.

Sally Bradley RSM

One of the key principles at Mercy Works is to walk with vulnerable people, to empower them to take responsibility for their lives and become their own agents of change. Sometimes change can be slow and we accept that.

We are proud of our Prospering After Prison Pilot project, based in Port Augusta. In partnership with Centacare Catholic it has been running for two years, providing through-care (or holistic care) for Aboriginal women leaving prison to prosper in their community.

In the past year, 21 Aboriginal women were assisted in the development of personal resilience, financial resilience, living skills, cultural healing, spiritual support and community connection under the guiding and dedicated care of three Sisters of Saint Anne of Chennai: Sisters Delma Rani, Elizabeth Royan and Sheela Thomas.

They accompanied women to their court hearings when they were released on parole, connected them with legal aid on their behalf, transported them to locations to access service and referrals for emergency housing, food and clothing as well as visited inmates in prison. They also delivered food packages in the APY lands during Covid-19 and basic amenities packs upon their release.

The project has worked tirelessly to empower and strengthen the families and communities of these vulnerable women, many of whom are dealing with alcohol and drug addiction, homelessness, prior traumas, poverty and domestic violence.

The projects aimed to improve the capacity and connectedness of women leaving prison when they are vulnerable and at risk of re-offending due to the barriers of navigating through the transition from prison to everyday life in their community.

The need for tailored project that meet the individual needs of offenders’ is currently not being met by services in the region. This project aimed to provide case management support to each individual as issues arose and link them to the appropriate services.

“Women whose husbands or partners are incarcerated should be supported. Women suffer greatly on a mental, economic and emotional level,” says Sr Sheela of the wide-range of women targeted in the program.

“By assisting them, we are supporting the entire family and ensuring  productive and integrative living.

We are happy to report their hard work, monitoring and evaluation is potentially going to be incorporated to advocate for on-going funding for a range of providers including State and Commonwealth Government.

The pilot will provide the evidence base to evaluate areas for expansion within the project and larger scale. Both Sr Delma and sr Sheela have been appointed by the prison to be volunteer chaplains.

 

 

 

 

 

“We hope the information and documentation we have acquired will encourage us in engaging the support of other stakeholders in this project,” says Sr Sheela.

Dr Jen Clearly, CEO of Centacare Catholic Country SA, says there is minimal or no preparation within the prison prior to release, and no services whatsoever available in the community upon release.

Which is why she has contacted Kornar Winmil Yunti Aboriginal Corporation (KWY)  who have expressed interest in expanding their involvement with the Sisters.

She has also had contact with the Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation with a view to involving Centacare in the future, should funding become available.

“We recognise their present predicament, which is the result of multiple of underlying issues in their lives including intergenerational trauma,” says Sr Sheela Thomas.

“After listening, we discovered how their sharing of their trauma had such an impact on us.”

Naydia Dooley, a Year 11 student who lives and learns with her 14-month-old daughter, Thea, at Cape York Girl Academy (CYGA) in Cairns, admits she wasn’t always a model student.

The 18-year-old Wik Mungkan and Wadjigu girl from Pormpuraaw and Woorabinda, says there has been a profound shift in the way she views the world these days compared to her younger years.

“I am Thea’s mum I love her endlessly; she is my motivation to keep going through life. Being a mother has changed me a lot. Before this, I was running amock. Thinking about what my future looked like back then, it wouldn’t be good.

“I used to fight all the time and get into trouble. I never had the responsibility of having to look after someone else before. Now, all my focus is on her and what she needs. It’s kept me away from all that other trouble. It’s a full-time job being a mum, they need you!”

Now emerging as a young leader in her community, Naydia was recently invited to speak at the Early Years Conference in Cairns, where she made the presentation: “A Village Raises a Child; Providing opportunities for young women to continue their secondary education while being a mum at school.”

She spoke of her experiences at the first-of-its-kind boarding school for teenage Indigenous mums and their babies along with other young women who are at risk of disengaging with their education.

As a young mother wanting to go forward in life, she says the CYGA was the perfect place to study and actively raise her daughter. It has been “challenging but rewarding”.

“Cape York Girl Academy gives chances to students unlike other schools. The school is non-judgemental about your past and that gives me the confidence and sense of belonging, when other schools don’t, to complete my education to the best of my ability. 

“Thea loves it here. At first, she wasn’t too sure because there are so many girls and people around. Then she started to get used to people and now she’ll go to everyone, she’s a very social girl. The girls love having Thea around. They fight over who’s going to hold her.

“When I need a break, they’ll take her straight away. I don’t feel worried because I know she’s safe with them and she knows them very well.”

Naydia has transformed from a restless 17-year-old into an ambitious and loving 18-year-old mum in her time there.

“I love being here, away from everything. The environment is calm, and everyone is friendly, and the school is so supportive. If Thea has kept me up and I haven’t had a good sleep, they let me rest. They encourage you to get into class. I like being in class because the teachers make it fun. I can come up to the day care whenever I want to see Thea if I’m worried about her.

“I like all my classes and I love learning.”

This year Mercy Works is proudly funding new technology for a Multi-Sensory Calming De-escalation Room to enhance our goal of growing effective and confident mothers, happy and confident children, and provide young Indigenous women with opportunities for growth and success in every aspect of their lives.

With the end of Term 3 holidays approaching, a classroom will be repurposed during the holiday break while the students are not on site, and allow the facilities team to paint and set up the room for Term 4.

“Students can go to this room to feel transported into a familiar setting before they lose control. Here they can take time to centre themselves,” says Principal Mandy Ross.

“As a forward-thinking school, The Cape York Girl Academy want to elevate the level of therapeutic intervention available on campus and provide spaces where students can go before they have physical or emotional outbursts, which can often mean they lost hours of learning time. The room will reduce this time to 15 minutes.”

All girls are supported by qualified trauma-informed staff and the space is co-designed with students to create familiar imagery, sounds and smells as well as specialist multi-sensory toys.

With only one year to go at the Girl Academy, Naydia is currently busily working on her Cert II Hospitality theory and also is studying to take her Learners Drivers License test in the next two weeks. She says she is very much looking forward to getting her L’s and practising driving.

And while she can’t imagine being anywhere else, she is looking forward to life ahead with Thea.

“I really like working with children. I’m considering becoming a primary school teacher. I really want to inspire and help other young mums out there to get to school and encourage young girls to keep going for their dreams, to never give up. 

“I was on a long-term order and I’m starting to come out of child safety now. So having Thea full-time is a really big thing for me. She’s very smart. I try to teach her things. She’ll be able to speak so many different languages.

“My biggest hope is just to have a good life with Thea and to always have her by my side. I just want to be happy and calm and give her the best life possible. I want to get a good job so I can give her things that I didn’t have when I was younger, but I want her to appreciate those things as well.”

She cites Thea as her absolute motivation to keep going through life. “I love her endlessly”.

Images courtesy of Cape York Girl Academy

Empowering the everyday lives of the women of our Baabayn Mums & Bubs Group to grow into their potential and to contribute to an Aboriginal-led movement for better outcome for First Nations women and children is one of the key goals of this Mercy Works partnership project.

And this year is already providing spectacular results!

In May, nine of the mums of Baabayn were invited to showcase their artworks in an immersive display of art projections as the centrepiece of Crown Sydney’s inaugural Vivid Sydney activation, The Gallery.

The spectacular lighting projections created a 160km walk through experience along the landmark Wulugul Walk at Barangaroo, bringing to life the works of the talented Baabayn mums and other First Nations students from Blacktown and Redfern. This was part of the Solid Ground program for Western Sydney’s emerging artists.

Not only did the artworks transform Crown Sydney into a stunning visual gallery of light projections, but the mums were also invited to a VIP cocktail party at The Crown Hotel where they and their families were treated to a media event celebrating the success and stories behind the art and the artists.

“All of the mums were excited to visit Sydney City and view their artwork and to share on their pride and happiness on their social media,” says Amanda Peachey, a program support worker at Baabayn.

“We have seen an increase in confidence from the artists themselves, showing enthusiasm to continue to paint and share their experiences and a few of the artists have since been approached for commission pieces and grown their business portfolios.”

The Wednesday program has opened up many business opportunities which increased financial independence for the mums involved. The mums have since held a fete stall of artworks, jewellery, clothing and pieces created by themselves at a Baabayn NAIDOC event with more markets to come.”

Mercy Works is proud to support the “bubs” component of the group which engages Aboriginal children in cultural, educational, health-promoting and healing activities in weekly three-hour sessions. This includes storytelling, learning culture, native gardening projects, motor skills activities and pre-school literacy and learning sessions.

Meanwhile, their mums participate in programs like Real Futures Job Training ‘Bring Your Bills Day’ with Legal Aid and The Western Sydney Local Health District’s Public Health Unit for a breast cancer ‘Bedazzled Bras’ initiative. Other aspects have included dealing with Government departments like Birth Deaths and Marriages and the Learning Driver Mentor Program. It’s designed to empower, promote healthy lifestyles, and enhance life skills.

For mum of three, Alycia Nicholson, the opportunity to show her artwork has been a “highlight” of her time at Baabayn.

“Having an art piece has made me so proud of myself and now my children are participating in more programs that Baabayn have to offer. The program gives me confidence to be able to teach my children about their heritage, it also give me the opportunity to meet other mums who have the same or similar situations to my own.”

Alycia, 28, is not Aboriginal. Her children are Indigenous from their father’s side. “My children are from the Dharug tribe, and I am doing all that I can to help them along with their cultural journey by participating in cultural activities,” says Alycia, who is also full-time carer for her niece.

“When I initially started, the mums and bubs group was focused on Indigenous arts and telling my story of involvement for my children. I was culturally accepted as an individual, but also as a mother taking in knowledge to be able to teach my own kids.”

Part of Baabayn’s philosophy is that it is designed to empower not only Aboriginal women but also non-Aboriginal mothers of Aboriginal children.

“My life has changed in a cultural way. Being a part of an Aboriginal community has helped me explain so many more thing to my children, things they didn’t know and helped them with their identity and to be proud of their aboriginality.

“The program has helped me identify different culturally safe services that can provide help for my children with their needs, whether that be medical or educational. I like that this program gives me confidence to be able to teach my children about their heritage.”

All Photos: Courtesy of Baabayn Aborginal Corporation

“Whilst we can’t change the overall landscape within which our community lives, we can provide a safe and respectful space where culture is embraced, and exploration and reconnection is encouraged and supported.”

– Claire Fleckner (Kura Yerlo Inc)