Dar Hosea: A Safe Haven for Women

“I remember once sitting on the front step of a door and crying. I was freezing because I was wearing a thin dress which I wore to attract more men. I used to tell myself that it was better if I felt cold so long as I would have money to spend on food and drugs. Still, I prayed for another lifestyle.”

This is one of the many stories that Maria, the Leader of Services for Dar Hosea shared with us. Thanks to the generosity of GO’s employees, the GO Cares Committee* recently presented a built-in wardrobe, sofa beds, supermarket vouchers as well as GO top-up cards, with an overall value of EUR5,000 in support of the sterling work being carried out in the local community.

The ways that women first hear about Dar Hosea may be different, but the reason is always the same: they are women at their most vulnerable, often victims of abuse, be it through prostitution, violence or addiction.  Dar Hosea offers a safe space, free from judgement and prejudice, for these women to start rebuilding their lives, instead of resorting to prostitution as their primary source of income.

“To me, Dar Hosea is more than a home, it is a safe place. Without the love of its staff and volunteers, there would have been no hope for me to find happiness.”

As the only registered NGO of its kind in Malta, Dar Hosea runs a drop-in centre where every woman, regardless of her background, is welcomed with open arms, and provided with the basic needs she currently lacks: a homemade meal, a warm shower, a clean bed.

Beyond this, Maria explains how Dar Hosea also offers psychosocial services, including counselling, social work, and therapeutic workshops, to help these women reconnect with their inner selves and rebuild trust and self-belief. In addition to the services extended at the drop-in centre, Dar Hosea offers home visits, hospital visits, and support to women attending rehabilitation programmes, conducts regular sessions at the Correctional Services Facility and also carries out prevention programmes for youth and women who are at risk of sexual exploitation.

“Through the dedication of the staff and volunteers, I started experiencing love and dignity. I understood that I deserved a life free from constant violence, and I gradually started learning how to love myself.”

The personal journey of each of the women is a unique and challenging one and the dedicated team at Dar Hosea are determined to provide the women who turned to them for help with a hopeful future. Maria shares that it is the success stories of the women they support that encourages the team to persevere in the face of adversity.
GO Cares is committed to support vulnerable individuals in the community and ensuring that they have access to the resources they need to rebuild their lives. The donation made to Dar Hosea will be used to provide support to victims of sexual exploitation. GO Cares is proud to support their cause and urges others to consider doing the same.

Dar Hosea relies heavily on the support of sponsors to keep its doors open and to continue providing its much-needed services.

Here are a few ways how you can help out: Volunteer, Donate toiletries, Donate supermarket vouchers, Donate clothes vouchers, Monetary donations.

Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those who need it the most!

For more information, visit Dar Hosea’s website at https://darhosea.org/

*GO Cares was set up in 2014, with the main aim of lending a helping hand to our people, earth, and animals. The GO Cares Committee organises different fundraising initiatives to support different local charities and administers the funds collected from the monthly salary donations of our One GO Team.