Izzy was one of seven young women who completed our six-month CHA (Community Health Advocate) pilot program. We selected women who had faced limited opportunities in life. Some hadn’t finished school. Some had been married off early, against their will. Others lived under strict control from older brothers, fathers, or husbands—or were in abusive relationships. Most had little sense of pride or confidence. Many had never regularly left their homes or met people outside their family networks.
In the CHA program, we met with them weekly. Our time included rotating health trainings, accompanying us on home visits, helping facilitate health workshops in local community centers, and doing patient education in clinics. We were surprised by how quickly they formed a strong bond and identified as a community. They were proud of themselves. They enjoyed each other. They felt they belonged and were valued. Out of that confidence, they were equipped to serve and bless women and children in their own communities.
Izzy was married off at 16 against her will and lives with a restrictive and physically abusive husband. Four months into the CHA training, we discovered she had a natural ability to connect with teenagers. Through the workshops, her confidence and competence grew—she began leading sessions on how stress affects the body and how to use deep breathing to calm down.
On home visits, she learned how to engage kindly with women outside her family. She learned to explain how to manage a child with fever and demonstrated this effectively during visits. Due to the trauma she has experienced, compassion didn’t come easily. But for the first time, we saw her deeply moved. She showed genuine concern for a woman who tearfully shared about the bullying her sons face as Syrian refugees. Izzy’s journey toward healing and empathy had begun.
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