Project Launch:

This project will partner with a holistic shelter for victims of sex trafficking and abuse. The shelter offers a safe space and a variety of educational, clinical, medical, spiritual, livelihood, family development, and community outreach programs. This project will provide a healing and meditation garden for the shelter’s members and staff, who will use it for group therapy sessions, livelihood trainings, book clubs, morning group devotions, meditation and yoga. The girls will learn how to cook and harvest vegetables, as well as make herbal remedies and natural body products. The garden will provide a therapeutic and natural environment for girls at the shelter, assisting in their healing and coping processes.

Project Update

The garden project is underway! Since the shelter is on the side of a mountain, the last few weeks were spent leveling the ground to accommodate the new garden structure. Once the grass has regrown, the shelter will hold a Garden Day filled with various activities for the staff and shelter members to construct raised beds, paint birdhouses, clean flower pots and craft wind chimes. Additionally, to help promote STEM, the garden will be incorporated into classroom lessons to teach the girls about the science of soil and composting, how to engineer a rain water catchment system and the importance of clean energy technology.

Final Report 

After five months, the garden is finished! The staff and girls have been excited, supportive, hard working, and patient. The garden will now be used for personal meditation and self care, expressive group activities, and livelihood training sessions. It not only builds capacity and skills through a one time effort, it is also designed to develop soft and hard skills for all of the current and future girls who reside at My Refuge House.

Testimonials

"I am happy that I was able to contribute in leveling the ground for our healing garden. It was tiring but a worthy work to do that day." - Alicia, Project Leader