Model and Strategy
Indrani's Light Foundation believes that nothing negatively impacts a woman's health, dignity, and agency as greatly as domestic violence. A woman involved in domestic violence feels powerless to make change in her own life, and the lives of her children. She feels shame that she is allowing herself, and her children, to be abused. Living with domestic violence has an impact on both the mental and physical health of a woman.
The Caregiver Project seeks to improve the quality of care for domestic violence survivors in women's shelters so that these women can improve their health, stop feeling shame, and regain the power to lead their lives.
The Caregiver Project's improves this quality of care by focusing on the front-line Caregivers working in the shelters. Helping these women and men reduce compassion fatigue and burnout, improve their self-care and family life, and rediscover the passion and energy that originally lead them to their work with domestic violence.
Impact
We believe that a lasting solution for compassion fatigue and burnout in Caregivers requires both immediate action (the initial 2-day workshop) AND ongoing support (monthly Caregiver calls, single-day follow up sessions, podcast, care packages).
The 2-day workshop helps ILF to achieve the short-term goal of teaching Caregivers the tools they need to take better care of themselves, recharge their energy, and rediscover passion for their work.
However, ILF realizes that using these tools takes practice, support, and reminders. The ongoing support helps ensure that the Caregivers continue to use the tools they learn and maintain healthy self-care practices in the shelter and in their personal lives.
By focusing on creating change in Caregivers, instead of trying to work directly with domestic violence survivors our work is more effective with the resources available. However, ILF has a long-term goal to train Caregivers, in each women's shelter, to deliver the ILF material to their clients. This will extend the full reach of ILF's work by teaching the importance of self-care and boundaries to the survivors of domestic violence, helping these women break the cycle of abuse so they can rebuild healthier lives moving forward.
ILF has anecdotal evidence that the training has an impact on Caregivers. Caregivers who complete the 2-day workshop share stories of the differences they experienced with their families after just the first day of training. Caregivers continue to share the impact the training has had on their lives during the ongoing support calls.
Leadership
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Indrani Goradia
Executive Director