Today is the beginning of Women’s History Month. Actions big and small make history and bring change to women’s lives. It is made by bravery and supporting one another. Today we want to share with you the story of our extraordinary graduate, Liat.
“At the age of 18 I accidentally got pregnant.
I was a girl who didn’t find herself in the world, without any dreams or ambitions. I didn’t think, I didn’t know and I didn’t believe in myself.
I did not continue the pregnancy but I knew that one day I would be a mother.
“For the first time I felt that I could succeed. I started learning to dream and fulfill myself.”
At that time I also learned about ELEM.
As a girl, I ran away from home, went through frameworks, and faced difficult situations. I was judged everywhere. I felt that I was a disappointment – I disappointed my parents, my friends, everyone.
Only at Alma, ELEM’s center for young women and girls, did I feel that someone was finally listening to me. They didn’t judge me, they embraced me. For the first time I felt that I could succeed. I started learning to dream and fulfill myself.
In my last year at Alma, I got pregnant. I learned so much about myself and my abilities, that I felt that I was finally ready to be a mother. And now I am a mother!
If you ask me today, what do I want to do or be in the future? There is no end to the things I want and I will get there too! But today I want to be a mother for my daughter first.
To invest in her development and provide her with warmth and love, to witness every step in her progress and to be there by her side through her journey.
A week before I gave birth, Anat, the amazing volunteer who accompanied me all those years in Alma, organized an exciting Hafrashat Challah event for me with the volunteers and workers. The team that is family to me.
And today, at this moment, today I look lovingly at my daughter Maayan. the root of the family.” -Liat, an ELEM Graduate
