Racheal

Welfare

Racheal fled her partner and small town life three years ago and moved to the city. ‘Because I lived my life in fear all the time, I suffered from anxiety and I couldn’t function properly so I also couldn’t function well as a mother,’ she says.

Now at the age of 30, Racheal cares for her youngest daughter and has three children with relatives and one in Child Youth and Family Services (CYFS) care.

She says one of the key turning points in her life came when she made contact with The Salvation Army and enrolled in one of their life skills courses.

The course teaches practical skills such as cooking, nutrition and budgeting, but the life-changer for Racheal was a module on self-esteem.

Her domestic situation had destroyed Racheal’s belief in herself and left her with no confidence for new challenges. ‘For a lot of mothers self-esteem is a big issue, especially if they’ve been in a relationship like mine,’ she explains. Salvation Army staff played an important role in providing encouragement and gently prodding her in the right direction.

One of the other significant benefits of the course was learning to prepare nutritious and cost-effective meals. ‘It got me interested in cooking. I went out and bought a crockpot the other day and I’m experimenting with that,’ Racheal says.

She also rekindled her interest in information technology and is enrolling in a computing course. Her ultimate aim is to establish a career in women’s public health. Before the course and work to rebuild her confidence, Racheal says she would never have even entertained the idea of further education or a career.

But her immediate objective is to regain custody of her daughter. Racheal says the life skills course was the first step in reuniting with her daughter. Recent discussions with CYFS had been positive and there is a ‘strong possibility’ mother and daughter will be together once she has been through a residential parenting programme.

‘The life skills course has helped me understand myself. Yeah, I’ve made mistakes but I’m making myself a better person so I can be a good mother to my kids.’