Sue and her brother were removed from their parents by the court due to their severely abusive home environment. Both parents were drug addicts, abusive and the kids were neglected. They were placed with a foster family, but after a short period the foster family rejected them. They felt that nobody cared or loved them. Feelings of not being good enough influenced the way they thought about their future. They felt that dreaming of a better one was pointless.

Sue and her brother were then placed in PEN’s care. Sue was 9 years old at the time. PEN committed to provide a stable and loving home for her and her brother and have journeyed with them both for 8 years now. Both children had been severely traumatized by their past experiences.

But being part of a stable, loving home environment slowly conquered that feeling of worthlessness and replaced it with a feeling of belonging and self-worth. She sees PEN as her home. Intense psychosocial therapy and coaching enabled her to heal and together with tutoring support she started to perform better at school.

She has started to dream again about her future, understanding that she is good enough to live a meaningful and successful life.

We thank StreetSmart for the support they gave PEN-Streetwise as it made it possible for Sue to experience parental love, and to be given the necessary psychosocial support to heal.

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