How it all began

In 1995 I suffered a mental breakdown and spent nine weeks in a private Psychiatric Clinic. Though I had recently ended a 25 year marriage, which had been followed by a short but abusive relationship, the collapse was ultimately the result of persistent emotional and sexual abuse from a very young age up to when I left home aged 18.

I was however, one of the lucky ones. Had I not been taken into such an excellent clinic, I am sure I would not be here today to tell my story.

The care that I received in that clinic was second to none and embodied every aspect of a caring environment, turning me around and setting me onto the path of recovery;

• Expert counselling either in groups or one-on-one
• Caring and friendly staff who always made time to listen
• Appropriate and beneficial therapies like exercise, aromatherapy, relaxation classes and handcrafts
• A comfortable, safe and relaxing environment
• Self assertive and confidence building programme

It has been my vision to set up a charity that can provide these aspects of care and support to women and teenage girls who have experienced sexual abuse or violence and who may not have the safety net that I did.

I cannot begin to explain to anyone who has not experienced either sexual abuse or sexual violence how destructive and long lasting the damage can be. A women is left with no self esteem, no confidence, no idea of a how a loving relationship should be and no ability to express her needs within a relationship. There is a strong likelihood that she will engage in abusive relationships all her life because that is how she has been taught. There is also the possibility that she will not be able to care for her own children in the way that she would want to simply because she has no example of how it should be done.

I am fortunate now to be in a position to offer help, encouragement, healing and hope for a better future to other girls and women who have suffered as I did and thus Women for Change was born in July 2003.

The aim of Women for Change is to reach out to young women in particular, who have suffered abuse, to help them to take back control of their lives, to move beyond being a victim and to help them progress along a healing journey that will ultimately result in their developing self esteem and confidence; and to educate and promote awareness of this destructive problem in our society.

I invite you to join our project.

Jacki Rodikis Chair and Founder, Women for Change