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The alternative world of Udaan is growing
As we told you a few weeks ago, before the end of 2022, the alternative world that we have created for women survivors of human trafficking, the Udaan shelter, is growing everyday.
Currently six women and three of their children shape this family, creating a solid network of trust and support.
One of them is Latika, whose name is fictitious to protect her. This woman is 35 years old and her husband sold her to the mafias when she was 19. Since then she has been sexually exploited, constantly being moved from one city to another, until she ended up in Kamathipura, the so-called “red light area” of Mumbai, where she spent the last 9 years of hell in which she has suffered all kinds of abuse, every day.
We managed to rescue Latika from the exploitation networks, and now she lives safely in our Udaan House, on the outskirts of Mumbai. She is in the process of rehabilitation, recovering her health and learning the art of sewing. She has health problems: vision problems, asthma, anemia… She needs continuous treatment to fully recover physically and psychologically, so that she can earn a living working as a seamstress, which is the goal of her new life.
Latika and the rest of her classmates have a day full of activities. On the one hand, through, for example, the painting of Mandalas and yoga, we try to carry out daily activities that keep them active and that improves their inner calm. We also promote different learning workshops: beauty, hairdressing, crafts or sewing are some of them. These trainings are what allow, for example, Latika to dream of being a seamstress and work for it.
Other activities are of a more individual nature: for example, helping them resolve complicated personal situations, or maintaining their health status through the necessary medical care.
But above all, it is to ensure their mental health. Their baggage are heavy and complicated and require a lot of
accompaniment to recover from certain situations. Considering all this, we also carry out workshops that promote self-confidence and self-improvement
In Udaan, in this safe space, coexistence is not always easy. Although these women share the misfortune of having been victims of human trafficking, and share stories where betrayal and mistrust have been protagonists, they also have very different origins and this sum of factors often generates conflict. But we approach it with the aim of offering them tools so that in time, outside of the Udaan world, they can also face the conflict in the best possible way.
You can also be a part of this world: ¿Do you want to help Latika to achieve her dream? You can do that right now.
