Today we visited la casa de acogida María amor, a shelter for women who were victims of domestic violence. The facility was unlike any shelter I've seen before. It houses up to 15 women and their children--a total of approximately 50 people each day. The facility is not only a shelter, but also a program that rehabilitates women through therapy and gives them economic opportunities so they can be independent upon leaving the shelter. The program typically lasts 6 months but accommodates women who need to stay longer. The facility incorporates environmentally sustainable materials and practices, including composting bodily waste. Through this and their other interaction with the environment, the women learn a respect for nature that translates into other aspects of their lives.
With over 60% of Ecuadorean women having experienced domestic violence, it was beneficial for us to learn about this issue and visit the shelter. Women are often taught to be subservient to men and accept abuse, and it's good that this shelter exists to help women who have made the choice to leave their abuse situations.
In each of our visits so far, it has been so gratifying to me that people are so welcoming to us. Today, the women offered us juice that we saw them making earlier in the day while we were helping clean weeds from their garden. Although a small gesture, I really believe food is the way to people's hearts, and them offering us juice and watermelon was a way of welcoming us into their facility.
-Joelle Bess
A view of the beautiful grounds the women shelter is on
Some of the indoor play facilities for children who live at the shelter with their mothers
Outdoor play area including zipline!
Learning about the center's mission and the services they provide
A poster in the hallway that highlights the parts of the country's constitution that give women a right to reproductive and sexual healthcare services--a tricky topic in a Catholic country
Solar panels are used to power much of the shelter!
The composting system that the shelter uses to make fertilizer out of bodily waste
A small sign reminding residents to "say no to gossip!"
Our team serves the shelter by weeding some of the small gardens
Haley loving being part of nature!
Some of the women prepared us a refreshing carrot/juice drink!
Taking a group selfie after we finished the weeding
Signs in the bathroom that detail instructions for using the dry toilet system that the center uses as a way to limit water use
Another group picture as we were leaving the center
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