The Safe Haven Halfway Home – Mauritius

The SAFE HAVEN HALFWAY HOME (SHHH) is a temporary shelter for teenage girls who are homeless due to abuse and rejection from family members.

ABOUT US 

September 2017, Gender Links Mauritius opened the first halfway home in Mauritius called Safe Haven. A Halfway Home is a place that serves as a residence for people in need; providing them with the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and to better support and care for themselves.

Safe Haven Halfway Home (SHHH) welcomes young women from the age of 18 who have had traumatising past experiences, and yet are determined to render their present and future beautiful. These women come from different socio-economic backgrounds and have known various types of violence including physical, sexual, emotional and economic. Safe Haven is an ongoing service-based non-for-profit activity for homeless, abused young girls, women victims of domestic violence, teenage mothers and their children.

WHAT WE DO 

Counselling and psychological support
Residents are provided with counselling and psychological support.
The Shelter Manager and the House Coordinator attend the medical sessions with the resident and a follow up is made.

Self Esteem, personal development and hygiene
Residents take part in in-house training that enhance their self-esteem, empower them and teach them about personal hygiene

Literacy & Numeracy
It has also been noted that the residents of SHHH have a very poor academic background due to their school dropout at a very early age. They are given support to restart/ renew their academic ventures. The children are closely monitored in terms of their academic and extra-curricular performance. Group activities with children are done regularly ensuring the well-being of our kids

Economic Empowerment
Residents are encouraged to join the labor market in order to be financially independent. They learn how to write their CVs and motivation letters and are linked with job opportunities.

IMPACT 

TO DONATE 

Read extracts of the I-stories of our residents here. 

My name is Priya and I am 20 years old. I came to Safe Haven Halfway Home in September 2019 after suffering physical and mental abuse from my relatives. I was five years old when my mother became pregnant with my little sister. We were all living with my biological father who was an alcoholic. As my mother went out to work, I did all household chores including cooking and caring for my little sister. I was just like a mother figure to my little sister. A year after my little sister was born, my father committed suicide by setting himself on fire while my family and I had gone for prayers at Grand-Bassin. I did not understand what death meant at that age but when my mother explained to me that I would no longer see my father, I was shocked and kept on crying. I got a little brother when I was 13 years old and since then, my aim is to provide a good life with the opportunities I did not get to my siblings. My mother had a hard time making ends meet. We had to move to my grandparents’ place. I managed to get work as a school van assistant and was happy to see other regions in Mauritius. I also eagerly worked in a hair salon and in a restaurant in the afternoons…