By Louise Batty | Managing Director
Spring has sprung!
Its the 3rd of September, blossoms are out, the weather has warmed considerably and the winds, where I live have started up. The place is looking fairly dry and dusty in expectation of the rains. In our lives, we go through seasons and often forget we are in a constant process of transition.
It is dangerous to think what our life looks like today will stay that way in a year, in a month or even in a day! 34% of teenagers think that suicide is a viable option to lifes challenges, that nothing will ever change and yet nothing stays the same! 1:5 youth attempt suicide and the most at risk age group is 10-19yr olds. 29.1% attempt suicide and need to see a doctor.
This is the state of our nation.
Keep The Dream196 builds resilience amongst our youth to overcome lifes challenges and to understand that there are seasons in life, some harder than others but with support anything can be overcome. To that end we have had 1 attempted suicide of a child who's mother is a Pastor and who only seemed to respond to people in crisis. That situation has improved dramatically through our followup support of both mother and child.
Another young adult who had been in the program, went off to university and got into the party scene. Her friends all became involved in the "Student" culture of the time and unfortunately she did not do so well. After failing exams, being exposed to the party life she tried to commit suicide. Fortunately she survived and after doing a life review realised life turned very sour when she left her peers at scouts and rovers and was overly influenced by her new "friends" at university.
The wonderful news is, she went back to school, withdrew from those friends, studied hard and graduated last year after completing a law degree.
Keep The Dream makes a difference, we make a difference in prevention, we make a difference regarding intervention, and we make an impact regarding once the situation occurs.
Both young people I am happy to share are back to being all they can be and working actively on their issues.
This is only possible because of your support. THIS SUPPORT IS ONLY AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF YOU!!!
I am serious. We can only do what we are doing because of your support.
Thank you.
The following story was written by one of my kids, she saw a post about the suicide statistics that I use on Facebook to promote the work we do and she begged me to let her write to people talking about what she has overcome and how. I have included it here.
I would like to say her battles are unique, sadly they are not.
Louise
*STORY OF MY LIFE* - Jane Doe (Not her real name)
Life is good when you still have everyone around you. Having parents, siblings and relatives who care about you is a good thing indeed! The pain starts when families fall apart, when they start to turn against you, that's when you'll realise that being rejected by a boyfriend or girlfriend is not a pain just a fever .
You will never never understand until you go through it, when you arrive home from school being told your father has passed away knowing he was the breadwinner in the house. When you see a coffin flowing through the cemetery and you cry knowing it was someone who always put a smile on your face, knowing you were his priority, someone who always put you first.
You will never understand until it happens to you, when your mother is only a step away from succeeding going crazy.. coming back from school being told your mom went crazy and she's being laughed at by kids, you'll be crying knowing she was about to change your life and that she loved you like nobody’s business. *THIS IS PAIN*
You will never understand until it happens to you when you think your family will support you through such a situation only to find that nobody cares. Yes you'll never understand, your cousins and relatives isolating you after your father died and after your mother went crazy. You will never feel it, I pray you never ever feel it when your relatives insult your mom because of being crazy. You cry knowing that your mother was fine and she never wanted to be like that.
You will never understand until it happens to you... being raped by your neighbour and then he turns every one’s mind to believe you wanted it to happen. You will never understand being pregnant at the age of 17 after being raped and trying to raise a child alone. Having your high school teachers, your friends and school mates teasing, calling you names and judging you badly for being pregnant at an early age.
You will never feel the pain when doctors and nurses giving you an attitude and are treating you very harshly, calling you slut for something that you didn't plan for. You will never understand when you are forced to stay at the house of someone who raped you and who you are not even interested in as part of a traditional arranged marriage. You will never understand indeed waking up in the morning knowing that you have to feed your child when you know there is nothing to give the child.
“Life is very complicated don't try to find answers because when you find answers, life changes questions"
To all women let me tell you that life has its ups and downs highs and lows...at times you may feel as if you are on top of the world, other times you think as if God is punishing you for things you don't know, keep in mind that whatever that is happening now, doesn't define where you are going to be.
I relied on positive words, thoughts and the renewal of my mind...and I got away from the people who gave negative thought, hurtful words and those who tried to remind me of the past. I kept a distance from those who were judging me and also those who were sympathizing instead of helping. All of my experiences, challenges and difficult moments I have learnt to trust and lean on God when there was no one I could cry out and voice out my challenges to.
My past experience cannot measure my future success; the capacity of my potential is not determined by what I have experienced and what people think about me. My suffering, my current situation and my problems will never be compared with what I am about to be.
Keep The Dream196 has taught me not just to surive but how to live and overcome and be who I am destined to be. No words for Keep The Dream196, words are not enough.
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