Azra was first set up to be married to a man with mental challenges. Her second husband was a rapist, and Azra was his fourth wife. The third was kind but his children mercilessly abused her. She herself has had no children.
At home, there is no place which she can call her own. She thought she could use one room, but there was no space for private things. Despite the kindness of her husband, her hope to find some peace in this marriage was an illusion. The children’s verbal abuse took its toll, leading to an attempt to take her own life and a prayer to Allah that she might sleep forever.
Like so many women, she had only had a couple of years of elementary schooling before being sent out to help at her father´s business in the Turkish quarter at the age of seven. She grew up without a mother and with very little love and value.
When Azra first came to STEP, the project manager thought she had never seen a woman with more pain come into the programme. “We are walking through a mountain of abuse… we know it is a long road”. Azra was so clever, yet so damaged.
But with her intelligence Azra has thrived in the business skills training and her engagement in the Life Skills track of training was a model of honesty for the others. She facilitates group openness. She observed in the feedback evaluation, “The Value lessons were the ones I really liked…. I thought I could consider myself for the first time”. For many, this lesson is a revelation. “We did not know that we had an value”. Another present colleague writes, “I learned that everyone who lived has value. We don´t have to wait for others, we can be the first to value ourselves (!)”.
Other subjects like Stress Management, Forgiveness, Moving On from Loss and Trauma, and Boundaries have been challenging stepping stones to a better life. Another participant writes “boundaries are the main thing you need to arrive at the point of valuing yourself.” These life skills in the STEP programme are critical to the women participants whose lives are often a repository of family obligations and the expectations of others.
In STEP vocational training, Azra is now part of the sewing group. She was already able to sew the most beautiful front pieces of embroidery at home and soon, she will be producing dresses in the upcoming incubator phase as one of the most naturally skilled of the group. Her talent will put her in good stead as her team will bring money back into the project through what they sell.
The STEP programme has a high rate of employment success (40 per cent within the first six months in the last cycle of training). Many are thinking of using their skills and professional certificate to start their own business. However, the STEP programme means something different right now for Azra. Nothing better in her life has happened to her, in her own words, then when she joined the programme. This was something that was hers. She has tried everything to find some happiness. Could she ever find some sunshine in her life? Our STEP fellowship represented that chance in her life.
Azra’s story and the testimonials of other STEP participants reflect the outcomes of the STEP project, namely: To see growing numbers of women employed and supporting their families, and growth in community awareness of the value of women and their potential.
