On Tuesday, June 23rd, I visited House of Freedom for the very first time. House of Freedom is a place that offers 23 women refugees from different countries in the Middle East, such as Pakistan or Iran, opportunities to sustain themselves through work and training. There, I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful women, each with their own unique story.
Through House of Freedom, Liberty Society aims to empower these women by giving them access to the resources they may need to achieve their own goals and aspirations. Those aspirations range from learning a new language, practicing their talents, pursuing higher education, raising their family, and more.
Conducting a survey, we were able to gain a better understanding of how our work with House of Freedom has impacted the lives of the makers. We asked the women to rate their satisfaction with work status, loneliness levels, confidence for the future, and their stress levels from before and after they began working for House of Freedom using a scale of 1-10.
The results showed an average increase of 4.25 units in overall work status satisfaction and an increase of 1 unit for confidence to make decisions regarding their future. This shows the impact we made in a year's time.
From my visit to House of Freedom, my greatest take away—the one that will resonate with me for years to come is-- these women means much more than the “refugee” label they receive when they leave their home country. These women are mothers. Friends. Scientists. Athletes. Teachers.
Together with your help, we are able to empower these women into becoming the best versions of themselves.
Written by Vanessa Sudarpo
SPH Karawaci, Liberty Society Data Intern Summer 2020