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Isabelle describes herself as a girl who does not have long hair and who looks like a boy. This young woman with a good sense of humour is a bubble of joy. She has a younger brother who stays with her at the Safe Haven Halfway Home and like any elder sister, she loves him but also gets easily irritated by him. Just like his little brother, Isabelle loves to listen to music, to dance and to cook. She dreams to have her own restaurant and becomes a chef. She can cook a range of delicious dishes.
However, this 19-year-old young woman, who loves to cook, has not tasted the joy of living with a family. Her parents abandoned her when she was a child and her mother is no longer alive. She got to know the identity of her father and first met him in April 2018, after over 15 years. She talks about her parents in a tone which does not contain a trace of sadness. I could tell from our conversation that Isabelle pretends to act as if she is detached from her harsh past and does not feel an ounce of emotion for parents. She repeated more than twice that she dreams to buy her own house and live with all her siblings. This clearly showed how much she longs for a family and a home.
Isabelle has been moving from shelter to shelter since she was a baby. She was placed in SOS Children’s Village when she was 5 years old, along with her little brother and elder sister. She spent her childhood and most of her teenage years there. When she was reaching 18, she had to leave SOS Children’s Village because she was no longer a teenager but an adult. Isabelle describes this period as the hardest moment in her life. She had to wander on the streets. She clearly remembers the day when she cried miserably in a public garden, praying to God as she had nowhere to go. For nearly a whole year before living at Safe Haven Halfway Home, Isabelle moved from house to house, living at the mercy of friends and strangers. In this tiny span of time, she travelled in several regions, seeking a roof and had to change jobs continuously. Imagine a young woman aged 17 who is wandering the streets looking for a house instead of being sheltered in her cozy room.
After struggling for nearly a whole year trying to get her life together, Isabelle came across an article written by another resident of Safe Haven Halfway Home. She got into contact with Anushka Virahsawmy, Country Manager of Gender Links, and has been living at Safe Haven Halfway Home since September 2017. She is gradually growing into a mature adult. When she was younger, she used to easily go astray due to peer pressure and is regretful of the mistakes that she made. Isabelle is grateful for being able to integrate the Safe Haven family. She has been able to get employed at LUX Hotels & Resort. Isabelle’s quest for her own home and for a loving family continues and she is still looking for a ray of light.